Spring Break
by 27kate17
Summary: Spring Break in Florida is the dream. Especially when you come from a small town such as Mystic Falls. Elena was looking forward to getting away with Stefan even if it meant tagging along with his jerk of a brother Damon. With the group driving down for the week they get off to a bumpy start with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere; so much for the beach. Delena
1. Chapter 1

**Just an idea for a story I have had on my mind. All human story and the joys and many mishaps of Spring break that can make for an interesting spring break. Let me know what you think! **

* * *

Chapter 1

As the sun started to shine in his eyes, a tired and groggy Damon tried to bury his face in his pillow only to realize his pillow wasn't there. Reaching out to his nightstand without looking he felt around for his phone but felt nothing, not even his nightstand. Lifting his head in confusion as he squinted his eyes because of the sun he saw that his nightstand had been moved a couple feet away and that his lamp and was on the floor. He tried to remember what the hell had happened the other night when he heard movement next to him on the bed. His eyes shot up as it started to come back to him and as he turned his head to look over at his bed buddy he saw a gorgeous redhead sleeping and the sheets tucked around her.

Damon gave a smile as he remembered the bar the other night, the shots the dancing the making out, the redhead. Suddenly he heard water running in his bathroom and then a couple seconds later he smiled at what appeared. That's right he remember the brunette. She was standing there with a smile on her face as she leaned against the bathroom door looking at him while wearing his black button up shirt that seem to have only two buttons left after last nights fun. "Looks like you're going to be needing to buy another shirt" she told him as she started to walk towards Damon as her curly honey brown hair draped over her shoulders.

"Yeah, but I think neither of us need it right now" he told her as he reached is hands out to unbutton the black shirt and pull her back into bed. She let out a playful squeal and this woke up the redhead. The black shirt was thrown to the ground along with the mess of clothing and pillows from the other night. With the brunette straddling his hip, Damon's head was resting on the lap of the naked redhead as the two touched him and his hand moved around to touch every inch of them that he could. Leaning up for a kiss from both of them Damon then rolled the brunette off him while he turned and hovered over the gorgeous redhead and captured her lips once more and trail a hand down her body while the brunette slowly crawled onto his back and started to suck on his neck and earlobe. Yes for Damon Salvatore this was definitely a great way to wake up in the morning.

Following their little morning work out the two girls gathered their clothes and started to redress as they left his room. He waved them off from the comfort of his bed and the girls called out that they should do this again and he smiled. Of course he wasn't going to let them know it wasn't going to happen again but why ruin a good morning by having them nag at him when they were already on their way out of his house.

This was the way Damon liked it, no strings of commitment anywhere in sight. It was one of the reasons he didn't bother to remember their names. Sure they had probably told him at the bar but they obviously weren't worth remembering. Sure they had a good time but at 24 he wasn't looking to any of them to stick around. College life was to be fun; he didn't need a nagging girlfriend cramping his fun as he partied into the early mornings of Friday, Saturday and the odd night during the week. No this was how he liked it, they drank, the danced they had fun, the fucked and then they left and he didn't get the "where is this going?" comments from them.

* * *

As the girls scurried down the stairs they were giggling like crazy and pulling on their clothes. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they walked past the main room where there were to people sitting on the sofa watching t.v. They both looked up at the girls who seemed a bit embarrassed to see them but the two on the couch just shrugged them off and went back to watching t.v because to them it wasn't a shock to see girls leaving the house in a hurry.

"Sorry" the one said but neither of the two on the couch gave them any more attention as the two girls quickly left the house.

Once they were gone Damon came down the stairs whistling and entered the room with an unbutton black shirt and found the two sitting on the couch looking like their night wasn't nearly as fun as his. "Good morning" he said with a smile and they just rolled their eyes at him.

"Apparently we have a different opinion of a good morning, mine for one doesn't involved being woken up by the sound of your headboard and the wall." The girl with straight brown hair and chocolate brown eyes said as she sat on the couch.

"Well Elena, you could maybe not come over I mean that would definitely improve my mornings" he snapped at her with a smirk as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Can you two please not" the guy on the couch groaned as Damon and Elena seemed to feed off insulting and bickering with each other.

"Hey, it's not my fault Stefan" Damon said as he reached over the couch where they were sitting and grabbed the remote from Elena so that he could check the sport scores. "Just because you two have been dating since preschool doesn't mean she lives here. She has her own house she can be moody at" Damon said as Elena lunged at him trying to get the remote back from him.

"Your such a self absorbed man whore" Elena threw at him as she wrestled the remote out of his hands.

"And you're a whiny annoyance with a high and mighty quality" Damon called back as he let go of the remote and watched as Elena fell back with a thud as he smiled.

"Will you two stop!" Stefan yelled in anger it was like this since they were kids. Damon and Elena never got along and Stefan was always stuck in the middle trying to stop them from ripping each other's heads off. Everything they did practically turned into a war. They were both stubborn and competitive and even a simple game of flag football had them yelling and attacking each other. Stefan had hoped that when him and Elena started dating in high school that the two would come to tolerate each other but instead it just seemed to get worse.

"Keep your girlfriends off my back!" Damon snapped at his brother as he headed to the kitchen while pulling out his cell phone and started making plans with a girl for tonight.

As Damon left with a smile, Elena rolled her eyes in disgust. "Unbelievable" Elena said with a groan when she shook her head. Sitting back on the couch beside Stefan, Elena let out a sigh thinking about the difference between how Damon spends his nights compared to her and Stefan. Her and Stefan had been in love and together for six years and yet instead of wild nights and parties their night were like all the others. Sitting on the couch watching t.v was as wild as it got for Stefan and Elena and she found it sad. They were 21 years old and their nights had lost the romantic spark they once had and it seemed like too much effort to go out anymore. They were college students but they skipped out on the fun and parties like most people did their age and it really bothered her. How had being in love become their reason for settling and just sitting on a couch next to each other with only the odd kiss. The romance was gone and as sad as it was they found it too much effort to try and find it again.

Elena loved Stefan he had been in her life since they were in diapers. They grew up together in this small town and had been through so much. He was her first love, someone she could always turn to and someone she trusted completely. They had been their for each other through the tough times like when his father died when they were eight and he had been her rock when her parents were killed in a car crash when she was 17. She wasn't sure what she would do without him in her life and he was someone she could always count on. He was the safe choice.

"I don't know why you let him get to you" Stefan said.

"He's an ass!" Elena snapped back as she got up from her spot on the couch and moved to collect all her notes off the coffee table. Yes her wild Friday night with Stefan involved a lame movie and homework they defiantly were living the life. "Anyway I'm meeting Bonnie and Caroline at the library to study."

"Okay" Stefan said as he started flipping through channels. "But I thought we could go to lunch, you know maybe talk…"

Elena bit her lip and did her best to stall. "I already promised them, but we can go to The Grill tonight with them.

"So you and I in a loud bar where you can't really talk" Stefan asked her.

"Look Stefan I'm sorry but I got to go" Elena told him as she stuffed her notes and books into her bag and threw it over her shoulder. "We can talk later" she told him.

"Fine" he answered not putting up much a fight and went back to watching t.v.

Elena stared at her boyfriend for a moment knowing that they needed to talk but like always they found a way to avoid it. Biting her bottom lip Elena mumbled goodbye and made her way to the front door. Before she made it Damon came strolling out of the kitchen snacking on a muffin.

"Oh good you do know the way out" he stated with a smirk as Elena rolled her eyes and left the Salvatore house.

"Would being nice kill you?" Stefan snapped at his brother once Elena was gone.

"If I'm nice once you'll expect me to be nice all the time, she shouldn't be hurt I'm mean to everybody," Damon stated as he stepped into the room and slumped down on the couch.

"You are an ass!" Stefan called back.

"I like to think of it as I don't discriminate, everybody gets the same treatment" Damon stated with a smirk as his legs were hanging over the armrest of the sofa. While Stefan was watching t.v, Damon reached into his pocket and pulled out a key and dangled it between his fingers.

Stefan took notice of the key and watched as Damon stared at it. It was one that Stefan hadn't seen before and as he sat up wondered what his brother could possibly be up to. "What is that?"

"I found it, in a box of father's old stuff" Damon stated and then showed Stefan the key chain that had an address. "It's for the beach house down in West Palm Beach Florida."

"Really?" Stefan said as she moved over to get a better look at the key to the beach house they use to go to as kids. "Haven't been there in years." Stefan said as he thought back to their childhood memories spending summers down at the beach. They always had happy memories there and it was a place that, for the most part held the limited amount of their happy memories about their father before he died.

"I figured maybe going down for spring break" Damon told his brother and then got up off the couch and left the room with the key. Stefan stayed silent as his brother left and thought about the idea of going down to West Palm Beach for spring break. It would definitely be nice to go back to his childhood summer home and it would definitely be nice to bring Elena along and let her learn a little more about the summers he and spent there. Over the last few year Elena and him had been drifting apart and if was getting to the point Stefan wasn't sure how much longer things could remain the same without their relationship really suffering. This getaway could be really good for them and help rekindle the love that seemed so far away right now. This trip could really make or break their relationship.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

With his leather jacket on, Damon strolled through The Mystic Grill and made his way over to the rowdy bunch in the corner. There were a number of already tipsy women dancing around and doing shots with the happy British bad boy who had his tongue down one of the girl's throats after taking a shot. As Damon made his way over he gave the intoxicated woman a smile and that irresistible stare of his with his ocean blue eyes.

"Darling you made it!" the British bad boy said when he came up for air and then reached over to hand Damon a drink.

"I see you have kept up the fort Kol" Damon laughed as he took a seat and took the shot before he wrapped an arm around the girl standing next to him. "Hi" he said softly to her.

He could tell he was sending chills through her body as she stepped closer to Damon and couldn't help but smile back, "Hi."

With a smirk Damon looked behind the bar to get the bartenders attentions and then ordered a drink for him and the cute brunette on his arm. Since Damon was a regular the bartender didn't even have to bother asking Damon what he wanted; it was always the same thing, bourbon. In fact both Damon and Kol spent so much time in the bar a large majority of the pubs earning were from them and the many girls that came into the bar because of them.

The brunette was now sitting on Damon's lap while he sipped on his bourbon and ran his fingers through her hair with his free hand. She was still very giddy about getting attention from Damon and had her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Alright we need another round!" Kol yelled and everyone around them cheered as the bartender brought over a tray of shots for everyone. Kol and Damon both reached for theirs and then the others were distributed too all the ladies. "To making it through the final days before spring break!"

"WOO WOO!" They all cheered and then threw back the shot.

"To those who have a midterm tomorrow but are getting wasted tonight!" Kol yelled as he grabbed his drink and stood up on his chair to get the attention of everyone in the bar.

"WOO WOO!" They all cheered.

"Hey buddy you need to get down" the bartender said as he came over to motion Kol to get off the chair.

"Oh sorry mister bartender!" Kol said with a laugh as he hopped down.

"Sorry mister bartender?" Damon laughed and gave his friend a raised eyebrow.

"Well I'm not going to call him bro, everyone will think we are related" Kol stated.

"But you are related to Elijah" Damon reminded him pointing to Elijah behind the counter.

"Not while I getting drunk I'm not!" Kol cheered and then through back another drink. "WHOSE READY FOR SOME BODY SHOTS!" he yelled and was rewarded with another group of cheers from the now growing crowd of drinkers all interested in the body shots.

While the group surrounding Damon and Kol was getting louder and louder, Stefan walked in with his hands stuffed in his pocket while Elena followed in behind him. Both remained silent as the walked in and noticed the loud and usual crowd of Damon and Kol. Biting her lip Elena followed Stefan as he led them to one of the tables in the back that was their usual table.

"It seems Damon and Kol are off to an early start, it's 5pm on a Wednesday" Stefan stated as he slipped into the booth and Elena slipped in across from him. While Damon and Kol came here with the sole purpose of getting drunk and getting laid, it was a popular hangout spot for Stefan, Elena and the rest of their group. Mystic Grill held a lot of memories, including Stefan and Elena's first date six years ago in this very booth.

Things were so much different back then, both were so nervous and had big grins on their faces. They would hold hands over the table and play footsie with each other under the table but now it was completely different. Their hands fiddled with the menus instead and their feet were planted firmly under their bench. Instead they focused on the menus as if they didn't know what they wanted to order when actually they got the same thing pretty much every time.

Once the waiter came over and took their order he removed the menus and this forced both Stefan and Elena to not hide behind them. "So schools going well?"

"Elena you're in half of my classes you know how school is going" Stefan stated but his tone came off a little short with her then he had intended.

"I'm making conversation Stefan, that is what you wanted right?" Elena snapped back before shaking her hand and looking away from him.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to… school is great" he ended up finishing and gave her a smile but she didn't return it.

"Caroline and Bonnie coming?" Stefan asked deciding to change the subject.

Elena gave him a nod just as the waiter brought over their drinks. "Yeah Caroline is forcing Bonnie to come out of the library" Elena told him.

"Bonnie leave the library, that will take some work," Stefan said with a chuckle.

Elena gave a nod as she thought about Bonnie and how she was obsessed with studying and getting straight A's on everything. To Bonnie an A- wasn't even expectable and the girls were always teasing her about being a study addict.

Bonnie practically had her own chair with her name on it at the library and when she wasn't in class she was in the library. If it was up to her she would live in the library but thankfully they have rules against that. Caroline and Elena were always having to convince her to take a break because if not she would go mad studying so they do their best to get her to take a hour or two break.

"She's here!" came Caroline's preppy voice as she walked over to the table while pushing Bonnie along with her.

"Against my will, I must say" Bonnie stated as Caroline forced her into booth and to sit next to Elena.

"You've been in that library since 6am!" Caroline stated. "They needed to clean the place without you taking up residence there!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes at Caroline's over exaggeration, "I have an exam on Friday" Bonnie told her.

"And you've been studying since Saturday morning, a break will do you some good" Elena told her.

"I can take a break on the Monday of spring break before I begin study for the next exams" Bonnie told them as she shrugged her shoulders.

"NO, NO Bonnie Bennett you are not spending spring break locked in that library!" Caroline told her with a very dramatic tone. It was Caroline's mission for spring break to have Bonnie relax and let loose a little. All school year she was a stressed out over prepared college student and Caroline didn't want her friend's entire College experience to take place in the library.

"Well speaking of spring break, how would you guys like to go to Florida?" Stefan asked them as he got the girls attention.

"Oh my god spring break on the beach is the dream!" Caroline said excitedly.

"Well Damon found the keys to our West Palm Beach vacation home" Stefan told them as all the girls got excited of being able to go to a beach.

"Oh my god that is awesome!" Caroline said happily as she gave Stefan a hug since he was sitting right beside her. "A whole week of sandy beaches, bikinis and wild parties!"

"I don't know about wild parties, but I would enjoy a little sun at the beach" Bonnie told them.

"West Palm Beach… when was last time you were there?" Elena asked as she remembered Stefan telling her stories of his trips with his brother and dad when they were younger.

"Not in years… Uncle Zach took us one year after father died but haven't been back since" Stefan told her as he thought back to those trips to West Palm Beach. Growing up their father had thrown himself into his work when their mother had died after losing her fight to cancer. Stefan was only a year old at the time so the only memory he had of is mother were from photographs. Their time at the beach house was the only time their father put his work aside and spent time with his sons.

Elena gave a nod and then a shriek of laughter erupted over at the bar where Damon and Kol were doing body shots on a girl lying on the counter. Shaking her head at them Elena turned back to Stefan already pretty sure what his answer to this question was going to be. "So I take it since you said Damon found the key that he is also coming?"

Stefan bit his lip, "Look it will be fine, we will have our vacation and he will… get drunk in the bars and wake up outside on the ground somewhere" Stefan told her with a smile. "We'll hardly see him," he told her trying to get her to agree to the trip.

* * *

"Look I don't care what you have to say Logan, I'm done, I'm done with your lies your excuses, hell I'm done with your apologies!" came the angry voice of Jenna as she stormed into Mystic Grill while her phone was pressed to her ear. "We're done Logan!" she finished off before ending the call and shaking her head wondering why it had taken her so long to finally rid herself of him.

Jenna and Logan had been dating for about two years and in that two-year span he had managed to suck the life right out of her. He had lied to her more times then she could count and finally she was finished taking his excuses. Jenna didn't consider herself a clingy girlfriend in fact she loved having her own space but Logan would take off days at a time and his only response would be "I've been busy."

With a grunt Jenna slipped onto a bar stool at the bar counter and waved Elijah the bartender over for a shot of tequila. As soon as it was set in front of her she thanked him and then let the burning alcohol slide down her throat. As she set the empty glass onto the counter she asked for another. Sitting there waiting for her shot, Jenna looked over at the crowd on the far end as Mystic Falls' top jack-asses other than Logan were enjoying themselves by taking shots from some bimbo's cleavage. Rolling her eyes, Jenna shook her head as she got another drink.

Damon who had a girl hanging off him on both sides noticed Jenna sitting kitty corner to him and the rowdy bunch of college students. With a smile Damon pealed the girls off him and slowly made his way over to her and took a seat next to her.

"What do you want Damon?" Jenna asked with a huff before downing her drink. Jenna was a year older then Damon although going by his lifestyle he made her look twice his age. At 21 Damon was getting his foot into clubs and partying harder then ever, while Jenna became a legal guardian for her sister's two kids Elena and Jeremy after her and her husband were killed in a car accident.

"Can't a guy come over and see what an old friend is up to?" Damon asked her with a smirk as he got Elijah to get him and Jenna another round of drinks. Although Jenna was 25, Damon made her feel like 35.

Jenna let out a laugh before taking a drink and then turning to look at the womanizer with that smile that got him everything he wanted since grade school. "We're not friends Damon."

Damon brought a hand over his heart and gave her a look of shock and hurt by her words but Jenna knew him far to well. "Ouch that hurt."

"Somehow I doubt that" Jenna said with a smile not even phased at his attempt to being hurt.

"So why are we drinking?" Damon asked as he held up a glass.

"Well you're drinking because it's a Wednesday, I'm drinking because my ex is a jack-ass" Jenna told him.

"Logan is an ass" Damon stated, "took you long enough to see it," he laughed.

"This coming from the guy who never gets to know a girl longer then a night" Jenna pointed out.

"I know you?"

"Yeah because I won't sleep with your ass!" Jenna told him and held up her drink to clank hers with his drink as he just held his glass still.

"It would be good," he told her as he leaned in close.

"No, it would be great, but never going to happen buddy" Jenna laughed.

"Fine I'll settle for drinking buddy," Damon said with a sigh.

"Yeah because Damon Salvatore needs another reason to drink" came a voice and both Jenna and Damon saw Alaric take the seat on the other side of Jenna.

"Oh look it's the buzz kill," Damon mumbled as he rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have someone else you can be bothering?" Alaric snapped at him.

Ever since Alaric came to Mystic Falls for college him and Damon had butted heads with neither of them being a fan of the other. In fact there was one night where the two got into a huge bar fight when Alaric found Damon making out with his girlfriend at the time, Isobel. So whenever possible Damon and Alaric avoided each other, which would be a lot easier if it wasn't for Kol being friends with both of them.

"My man Rick is here!" Kol shouted as he came over and jumped on his back. "Elijah I drink for Rick" Kol said loudly as he pounded a fist on the counter.

"I'm cutting you off!" Elijah told him with a stern face.

"Oh come on I'm not even drunk?" Kol called out as he leaned over the bar counter.

"Its fine I'm here to pick up Jenna actually," Rick said as he got his friend to calm down. As Alaric leaned into Jenna he tried to read her face, "Are you alright?"

"She's fine, we're just trying to forget about that jack-ass Logan" Damon told him with a smile.

"And you would know all about Jack-ass' wouldn't you Damon" said Elena as she came up to the bar to get a drink.

"Oh god Elena I didn't even know you were here," Jenna said in shock as she set down the drink. Even though Elena was 21 now is still felt a little awkward for Jenna to get drunk in front of her niece.

"Yeah I'm here with Stefan and the girls," Elena told her.

"Well do everyone a favour and turn your judgy little eyes somewhere else," Damon snapped back.

"Are you okay Jenna?" Elena asked ignoring Damon.

"She's fine Elena, she just needs to let loose without you and your judgy little friends getting in the way" Damon spat at her.

"We're not judgy Damon, we just have higher standards unlike you" Elena said with a smile.

"Not that high though since your with boring old Stefan" Damon told her with smirk.

Elena rolled her eyes at Damon before ordering a drink and then looking over at Alaric, "Make sure she doesn't drink too much, and keep her away from this one" Elena said as she pointed to Damon before heading back to her table.

"Look maybe you have had enough" Rick said to his best friend, who just downed another drink courtesy on Damon.

"Look I've had a bad day, I deserve to get drunk and maybe picture Logan's face on the dart board.

"Yes," Damon said liking her attitude, "I'll get the darts!"

"NO, no not when you're this drunk" Rick said making Damon stop and looking at Jenna not wanting her to get too wasted on a Wednesday.

"Don't listen to him in fact if you really want to get over Logan and get away from the boring ass town for a week, Why don't you come down to West Palm Beach and let loose. A week without consequences" he told her and he could see that Jenna was very intrigued by the idea. "Plus you can finally let loose without seeing your niece and her friends, you will be free to do whatever you want."

"Oh you guys should definitely come it's going to be brilliant!" Kol chimed in since Damon had already filled him in about the spring break trip.

"Um he's not invited" Damon said as he pointed to Rick.

"Oh come on Damon the more the merrier!" Kol told him.

"The guy doesn't even like to drink!" Damon complained.

"NO I just don't like drinking with guys like you!" Rick spat out.

"Are you ever going to forgive me for sleeping with your girlfriend?" Damon asked him with a sigh.

"YOU slept with her?" Rick yelled in anger.

"Didn't I? Isn't' that why you're such a dick?" Damon asked and it was then that Alaric realized womanizer Damon had no idea who his girlfriend was.

"Isobel? We got into a bar fight over it" Rick remained him.

"Are you kidding me I didn't even sleep with her," Damon laughed.

"You kissed her," Rick yelled.

"Well then I'll buy you a drink to make up for it" Damon laughed and then ordered two bourbons. Alaric didn't even have time to say no as the drink was set down in front o him. Shaking his head Alaric figured he might as well learn to tolerate Damon especially if he was going to be stuck spending a week with him to ensure Jenna didn't drown her sorrows too much during spring break.


	3. Chapter 3

**Glad people are liking this story. **

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Chapter 3

Tomorrow was the start of the big trip down to Florida so Kol made his way over to the Salvatore estate so him and Damon could plan out their trip and which parties that they should be sure to hit. With a quick knock on the door Kol stepped inside just before Stefan could answer it. "Sure come on in," Stefan mumbled as he sipped on a cup of coffee as Kol ran right past him.

Running up the stairs Kol was calling out Damon's name trying to get his attention or at least wake him up and who ever he ended up going home with last night after he had taken off. "Damon lets go!" Kol called as he reached his bedroom door and swung it open. At the sight in front of him, Kol was not at all prepared. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he saw two people scrambling around in the room, one being Damon as he pulled on his pants and the other being his own sister Rebekah gathering up her clothes in her arms. "What the HELL!"

Both Damon and Rebekah looked shocked to see Kol standing there and didn't know what to say during this very awkward moment. "Surprise, your sisters in town!" Damon said with a fake smile.

Kol's eyes moved from Damon to Rebekah and then back trying to understand how this could possibly happen. Yet if he was honest he didn't want o know and turned and left the room in a hurry.

When Damon and Rebekah were both presentable they made their way out of Damon's room and down stairs to meet a flustered Kol as he paced back and forth. Trying to get what he had seen out of his head, Kol desperately tired to think of anything else other then his best friends and his little sister doing the nasty. When Damon stepped into the room he looked unfazed by the awkward situation and moved over to the bar and poured himself a drink.

"Isn't it a little early" Kol asked watching Damon pour a glass on bourbon and then another.

"Well I figured we could both use one" Damon told him with a smile and then handed his friend a glass.

Kol took the glass while he licked his lips and then turned to look at his sister who was supposed to be away at school. "What are you even doing here? Does mother know you're in town?" Kol asked his sister and with a bit of a snippy tone.

"It's spring break, and I just got in last night I wanted to surprise her" Rebekah told him with a smile as she moved around the room so that she could lounge on the couch like she owned the place.

"And yet she doesn't know you're here yet? You thought screwing Damon was a better idea?" Kol snapped at her and then with the smirks on both their face Kol desperately regretted his wording. "Don't answer that" he pleaded and then gulped back the bourbon.

"I got in late it would have been rude to show up and wake her up" Rebekah told him and gave a pout not wanting her brother to be mad at her. "Damon offered me a place to stay," she added.

"Yeah I'm getting that" Kol said with a sigh and then moved to refill the glass with more bourbon. "Anyway I'm here about spring break," Kol said as he turned his back to Rebekah and focused on Damon who was standing by the fireplace with his glass of bourbon.

"What's happening for spring break?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"Nothing" Kol assured her because he didn't want his little sister coming along.

"Come one what do you boys have planned?" Rebekah asked as she got up and moved closer to them.

"Nothing you would be interested" Damon assured her.

Rebekah gave a pout and crossed her arms not liking that they didn't want to include her in their plans. "I come home to see you and you won't even let me in on your spring break plans, that is kind of rude."

"Go home to mother dear sister" Kol told her with a smirk and then turn his back to her again as he started to show Damon the parties they would have to check out on his phone.

Not liking not being in on the loop Rebekah dashed around and grabbed Kol's phone so that she could take a peak on what they were up to. Before either of the boys could react Rebekah took off running around the room so she could check out what they were up to. "Well, well, well, West Palm Beach huh" she said as she waved the phone around with a grin on her face.

"Your not coming" Kol told her flat out.

"Oh come on Damon wants me to come" Rebekah replied with a smile, as she looked at all the parties they were planning to go to.

"Not particularly" Damon told her with a grin.

"Rude, both of you" Rebekah answered with a pout.

"Look we are already full!" Kol told her. "Alaric and Jenna are coming, so that's four in the car, plus beer," he snapped as he held up four fingers.

"What about us?" came Stefan's voice as he came into the room and heard the three arguing over spring break.

"What do you mean what about us?" Damon asked as he eyed his brother.

"I invited Elena, Caroline and Bonnie" Stefan told him.

Damon frowned at his brother and crossed his arms, "And why would you do that when you're not even invited" Damon asked. Rebekah gave a smile as she realized that this trip to West Palm Beach was getting pretty complicated.

* * *

Kol had taken off to drive his sister home to see their mother and left Damon to deal with the miscommunication of who was going to get to go to West Palm Beach. Seeing how everyone seem to thing they deserved a seat in the car the Salvatore living room was filled with some really pissed off people. Stefan and Elena were sitting on the couch thinking that this trip was probably the last hope to rekindle the flame that was burning out quickly in their relationship. Caroline and Bonnie were standing neared the door watching as Damon was pacing the room and Alaric and Jenna leaned against the fireplace.

"This is insane there isn't enough room for you all in the damn car!" Damon snapped at them in frustration.

"And why do you get to decide who goes?" Stefan asked as he growled at his brother who seem to think only he got to go to West Palm Beach.

"Because it's my car, next time maybe you won't buy that motorbike that you look ridiculous on," Damon snapped at his brother.

"That house is just as much mine as it is yours!"

"Look why is Alaric coming, I mean you two don't even like each other" Caroline stated.

"Thanks Caroline" Alaric shot back not at all impressed. "I'm planning to meet up with Meredith" Alaric told them.

"Your online girlfriend? I didn't realize you two were still seeing each other," Jenna said.

"Well hopefully we can finally meet" Alaric said with a smile, "It's been about a year on online chatting so its time to actually meet face to face" Alaric told her.

"A year, and you haven't slept with her? Buddy you should of dumped her months ago" Damon stated.

"I'm not your buddy" Alaric scoffed.

"Not everyone is a manwhore Damon" Elena stated as she rolled her eyes.

"Better a manwhore then be in a five year relationship where the most action I get is listening to what's going on in the next room!" Damon stated with a smile and saw the look of complete horror grow on Elena's face because while Damon's room was always loud with moans and giggling, Stefan's was quieter then a cemetery.

"Shut up Damon!" Stefan snapped, "Our relationship has noting to do with you," he added.

"Obviously considering," Damon mumbled while Elena just covered her face not being able to look at anyone in the room.

"Okay can we get back to the point," Jenna piped up not wanting to listen about her niece's sex life.

"Right and the point is, you four aren't coming!" Damon stated and then pointed to Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan and Elena. "You guys won't even like it down there" he told them with a laugh.

"We're going" Stefan replied firmly.

Damon glared at his brother and then started mumbling something under his breath before walking away trying to figure out another way to get rid of his brother and his gang of judgmental brats.

Biting her lip Elena got up and walked over to where Caroline and Bonnie were standing, both who seemed bummed that thy may not get to go and lie on the beach. "Honestly I already bought a bathing suit," Caroline said with a pout.

Elena ran her fingers through her hair and then looked over her shoulder to where Damon and Stefan were arguing some more. Turning back to the girls, Elena ran her fingers through her hair and let out a sigh, "Stefan and I need this" Elena told them, "We never talk, we don't even argue because its too much work, we just coexist. We need something to spice up our rut.

"Do you really have to listen to Damon's sexcupades?" Caroline asked.

"Can we not" Elena begged them as she turned back to see Stefan and Damon arguing,

"Do they agree with him a lot, he seems like I guy that knows what he's doing? Caroline asked.

"CAROLINE" Elena snapped wanting to shut her up.

"So what's happening are we going or not?" Alaric asked.

"Well you all may decide not to go after you see what Kol did," Rebekah said as she waltzed into the room with a grin.

Caroline's eyes widened in shock at the sight of her town nemesis, Rebekah Mikaelson. Ever since they were younger the two girls never got along and fought and competed over everything, whether it was cheerleading, class president, prom Queen, or who could plan the better party, m the two girls couldn't stand each other. So Caroline was thrilled when she heard Rebekah was going away for College but yet here she was. "What are you doing here?" Caroline asked.

"Damon invited me to come" Rebekah told Caroline with a smile knowing just how much her presence was going to get to the whiny blonde.

"Figures" Elena mumbled.

"I didn't invite you" Damon stated, there was no way he wanted to bring a girl with him on spring break when he wanted to party with a new girl every night in West Palm Beach without ever having to see them again.

"Well as I said, you all may change your mind once you see what my dear brother did" she told them and then turned on her heels to head back out the front door as everyone curiously followed behind her.

With the click of her heels Rebekah stepped outside first and the others followed behind and they all made the same wide-eyed jaw dropping face when they saw what Kol had done. Damon was the last one to come out and he shook his head finding it unbelievable what his friend had done. "You have got to be kidding me," he said as the gang was staring at Kol as he stepped out of an old rusty 1965 green Corvair Greenbrier van that was definitely an eye sore on the Salvatore estate.


	4. Chapter 4

**Glad people are liking this story. **

* * *

Chapter 4

"He's insane!" Damon complained as he was packing up his duffle bag as they would all be leaving for spring break later today in that god-awful van that Kol had rented for the trip, given the number of people now going down.

"It's Kol, I'm not sure why you are surprised" Rebekah stated as she was lounging on Damon's bed watching him pack a very limited amount of clothing.

Kol seemed so proud of himself for finding the van and claimed he got a very good deal on it. Damon did a quick inspect of it and there was a part of him that wasn't sure if the van would make it all the way to West Palm Beach. For one sometimes it took a few times to get it started and the shocks on the van were awful. Yet while Damon wasn't a fan of it Stefan seemed to think it was a good idea but of course he would since now he and his girls would fit. Fancy pants Caroline and Rebekah weren't a fan of it and it didn't help that Damon mentioned it looked like a van that could be used to transport a dead body.

"Room or not I didn't want Stefan and his girlfriends tagging along!" Damon snapped. Growing up he didn't like the girls and made no effort to be nice to them because he didn't care about them. Elena, well she was judgy and they have been bickering since they could walk, Caroline was a only child spoil brat who seemed to think the world revolved around her and Bonnie she seemed to think she was better then everyone and was brownnoser when it came to school.

"Who cares its not like you're going to spend anytime with them" Rebekah said as she sat up and crawled over to Damon and leaned up to wrap her arms around his neck. "You'll be spending all your time drunk and partying" She told him before leaning in for a kiss. "And I bet a lot of time in bed" she said with a giggled before Damon pushed her back on the bed and then pounced on top of her.

As he kissed her and started to tear off her clothes, Damon planed to make it very clear that on their trip down for spring break she wasn't his girlfriend. He had every intention on flirting and screwing other girls down there, but he figured he was going to be stuck in a stupid van for 13 ½ hours may as well start it off with a bang.

* * *

Checking her phone, Jenna was sitting on the front steps of the Salvatore house with her suitcase set beside her while she contemplated if this was a good idea or not. With Jeremy away at football camp she didn't have to worry about him because he was away all week so he wouldn't be getting into any trouble. The only issue was she wanted to get drunk and be a regular 24 year old and not a guardian this week and although Elena was 21 she still wasn't sure about letting lose completely in front of her niece and her friends.

"All set?" Alaric asked as he came up the driveway with his own suitcase and came to sit beside her on the front step. As much as he was looking forward to going down south for spring break he still wasn't thrilled about the fact that he would be forced to spend the week with Damon. "Cause I'm starting to wonder what the hell I'm doing," he added with a chuckle.

Jenna gave a smile knowing just how much Alaric hated Damon and the fact he was his ride down to West Palm Beach to meet his Internet girl Meredith. "Just do what I do and get drunk, you won't have such an issue with Damon," she told him.

"Of all the people I thought I would be spending my spring break with Damon was not on the short list" Alaric stated with a sigh.

"Yeah and I didn't think my drunk week would involved my niece but here we are" Jenna said with a laugh. "A part of me is just glad my 19 year old nephew isn't here at least."

"Well I just like to see Damon as the part of the deal of getting out of this town for a week and finally getting to meet Meredith face to face. When I told her I going down she as so thrilled and bought her plane ticket that day with a girlfriend."

"You really like this girl huh?" Jenna asked Alaric with a smile as she remembered when Alaric had first told her about the girl from Seattle and he had a sparkle in his eye whenever he talked about her. They had tired to get together back in the summer but plans fell through so this week was very important to Alaric. So much so that Jenna was going to try really hard not to bring down his mood with her sorrows of her ended relationship from Logan.

"Yeah I do" Alaric told her happily as his excitement of what was to come grew even more as Kol pulled up on the driveway with the van all filled up on gas and ready to hit the road. "Well here we go" he said and then stood up and reached out to help Jenna up.

With a van parked everyone started to come out of the house with their suitcases and prepared for the long ride head. While the guys came with small bags that still seemed empty the girls bags were packed full but in Caroline and Rebekah's case they had two large suitcases as if this was a month long trip. Elena stood back and watched Kol opened up the trunk and started to pile in the bags, food and beer. Biting her bottom lip Elena wondered just how everything was going to fit even in the large van. "Are you sure there is going to be enough room?"

"Well if you stay behind there will be even more room for the whisky" Damon said as he shoved by her and almost knocking her over with his bag.

Rolling her eyes in annoyance after she caught her balance Elena snapped back in a mouthy tone, "We'll have less hassle if we leave your snarky ass behind!" She then moved to the back of the van and stood beside Damon as they both started to put their bags into the back and got in a shoving match and saying the other wasn't doing it right.

"Come on guys we're not even on the road yet" Jenna said with a sigh moving in to break up Damon and Elena or also known as the oil and fire before they blew up.

"Can you hurry up!" Rebekah snapped at Caroline who was moving a little slower then she cared for as the two girls carried out two big suitcases each.

"Try keeping your pants on for a second, I know it's hard but give it a try!" Caroline snapped back and watched as Rebekah's jaw dropped in shock. Letting out a grunt Rebekah rammed one of her suitcase into Caroline and watched the blonde fall with a thud. Caroline let out a shriek as she went down and Rebekah wore a pleased look on her face.

As Caroline looked back at Rebekah she gritted her teeth and then with another shriek she lunged at the spoiled Mikaelson and tackled her to the ground and started pulling her hair. The two girls let out screams as they pulled each other's hair while rolling around on the front yard on the Salvatore property.

Bonnie brought her bag over to the back of the van where Damon was passing bags to Elena who was standing inside the back on the van trying to make room for everything. When she handed it to Damon he couldn't believe how heavy it was, "What the hell do you have in here? All your textbooks?"

"Just a couple, you're being a little dramatic" Bonnie said as she rolled her eyes and then turned to see Caroline and Rebekah trying to kill each other.

Damon turned and saw the wrestling match going on and shook his head. "This van can't hold two self-absorbed blondes," he stated as he watched Alaric and Stefan peal the to girls off each other.

"Trust me, your ego is a lot bigger then two self-absorbed blonds" Elena stated with a smirk.

Damon gave her a look not at all pleased with her comment then reached out and slammed the van's backdoor shut with Elena still inside. He could hear her banging on the door wanting out but Damon just smiled and walked away while Stefan let go of Caroline and then ran to let Elena out of the van.

"Really Damon?" Stefan snapped at his brother as he ran over to reopen the back of the van to let Elena out while Damon just walked away.

"This is going to be a very long ride," Elena told him as Stefan helped her step out of the van.

"Don't worry we will be fine" Stefan assured her with a smile as they moved around to the side of the van so that they were away from everyone and could get some privacy.

"You really think so?" Elena asked and just by looking into Elena's eyes he could tell that she wasn't talking about the ride down south but in fact was thinking about their relationship.

Stefan gave her a smile and then pulled her into a hug. They wrapped their arms around each other as if desperately clinging to hope that this wasn't the end of their story and that they weren't heading down different paths. "Trust me this trip is going to be one that we will remember and one that will change everything," he told her and Elena truly wanted to believe him. "Plus there is a good chance that being in a van full of people that hate each other some may not make it back" he said trying to lighten the mood and finally got a smile out of her.

"Okay your taking up too much room!" Caroline whined as her and Rebekah where once again dueling out whom got to put their suitcases where in the van as it was now becoming over crowded.

"Your bags are bigger!" Rebekah snapped as she tossed one of Caroline's back on the driveway.

"Really mature" Caroline grunted as she stepped over to pick it up and try to squeeze it into the van but with the spare tire sitting against the one side there wasn't enough room. "It's this stupid tire!" she said with a huff.

"Then get it out," Rebekah suggested.

Caroline bit her lip for a second and then let out a sigh as she tried to pulled the tire out. "It's too heavy" she told her still trying to pull the large tire out.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and then leaned over to help Caroline and then the two were able to pull it out. With smiles of achievement on their faces the two girls looked at each other for a brief second but then they remembered they hated each other and the smiles disappeared. "Just put it at the side of the house, it's not like we will need it anyways" Rebekah said with a shrug of her shoulders as she put the rest of the bags into the van.

"Fine" Caroline grunted, "But my bags better be in that van!"

Rebekah rolled her eyes and then lifted Caroline's bag and threw them in the back. "Happy?" She stated before Caroline rolled the tire away. Shaking her head once everything was in the back of the van Rebekah closed it up so that they were ready to go.

"Alright lets get this nightmare of a drive started" Damon mumbled as he held the keys in his hands while Everyone got ready to pile on in, "Stefan go the map" Damon said and then he made his way to the drivers seat.

"That's my seat!" Caroline snapped at Rebekah as she was sitting in the one behind Damon.

"No darling its not" Rebekah told her with a smile and refused to move.

"Just come in the back Caroline" Elena said as she and Stefan had to squish in the far back. Caroline finally gave in and climbed into the back and Bonnie squeezed in as well. Alaric and Jenna climbed in beside Rebekah and found themselves, squeezing because Rebekah thought she needed a spot for her purse.

"Not get the show on the road shall we?" Kol announced from the passengers seat with a smirk as he looked into the back of the van and all their frowning faced as they were all in snug. "Tough crowd" he said shrugging his shoulders while Damon started up the van to begin their long journey ahead.

The trip got off to a horrible start as people started to complain about space, being hot and who wouldn't stop moving. "Can you not kick my chair?" Rebekah snapped at Elena as she turned in her seat to stare at her.

"I wasn't kicking your chair!" Elena growled back and then as hard as she could she kicked Rebekah's chair. "That was me; kicking your chair!"

"Bitch!" Rebekah yelled and turned her body to swat at Elena and knocking Alaric in the process.

"Are you incapable of sitting still?" Alaric snapped at her and forced Rebekah to sit forward.

"Don't touch me!" Rebekah yelled at him.

"Okay Bonnie you need to put the books away, my lap is not a desk!" Caroline whined as Bonnie was taking this time to study.

"Sorry" Bonnie said a she rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Why did you even bring all theses books on our vacation?" Caroline asked.

"Vacation or not we still have school," Bonnie reminded her that the school year wasn't over yet.

"Well they're taking up too much room!"

"Caroline gave it a rest please! It is hot enough in this van without you whining!" Jenna called out.

"You're hot, well there are four of us crammed back here" Stefan told her.

"Five if you count all the books" Elena mumbled.

"ALRIGHT THAT IS ENOUGH, EVERYBODY SHUT UP OR THE NEXT PERSON TO TALK IS GETTING KICKED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!" Damon yelled having had enough of listening to them all whine 30 minutes into the long drive. "Now Stefan can you pass up the map?" he asked.

"What map I though you had it?" Stefan asked.

"No I said Stefan got the map?" Damon repeated.

"No you said Stefan I have the map," Stefan repeated.

"Stefan why the hell would I say I have the map when I don't have the map?" Damon snapped back.

"Well why did you say you had the map?" Stefan argued back.

"DOES ANYONE HAVE THE STUPID MAP?" Alaric yelled.

When there was no answer Damon slammed his fist on the dashboard. Shaking his head at how awful this trip idea seemed to be he looked at the sign on the highway that said Lovingston as the next town so pulled off to find a gas station and a stupid map. Turning off the car Damon and hopped out without even a word to the others and headed into the gas station variety store.

"I need some air" Elena mumbled as she undid her seat belt and squeezed passed Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie to try and get out of the hot van that she was stuck in the far back corner of.

"I'll join you" Jenna said needing to get away from Rebekah and opened up the back door so that they could hop out.

Shutting the door before anyone else could join them Jenna and Elena headed in the direction of the variety so they could get some snacks. "You okay?" Jenna asked as she wrapped an arm around her niece whom she could tell was looking pretty down.

"Things with Stefan… I not sure what I'm doing, or if I even care" Elena told her and the thought that she didn't care made Elena feel like such a horrible person. They had been together for six years now and while her friends loved to joke about weddings and babies for the two, Elena found herself not being the least bit interested in that kind of talk and it made her wonder where she saw herself in five years. Truth was she had goals for herself, finish college then take a year off to travel, get a job at a major newspaper as a journalist but out of all that she wants to achieve getting married and having kids with him isn't something so clear in her future. "I must be the worst girlfriend ever," Elena said with a sigh as her and Jenna slowly made their way into the store.

There was the ding of the bell and as they were entering the store they saw Damon leaning over the counter flirting with the pretty cashier while she twisted her sandy blonde hair and batted her hazel eyes. They both looked over at the door as Jenna and Elena came into the store and given the look on the cashiers face we were interrupting something. "Honestly we can't take him any where" Elena mumbled under her breath as her and Jenna moved down the isles and picking up chocolate.

"I need lots of chocolate, I've got no one to impress in my bathing suit" Jenna stated as her arms were full of chocolate bars.

"Logan finally stopped calling?" Elena asked as she picked up a chocolate bar for herself.

"No but I've stopped answering, I don't care what he has to say we're done" Jenna said firmly and there was no hesitation in her voice. She was finished with Logan and she wasn't looking back.

"I wish things were a lot clearer for Stefan and I" Elena said with a sigh.

"Well honey you know what they say, The couple that fights the most is the one most in love... it shows they care enough to notice the other one screwed up and care enough to mention it to the person so they can fix it. When you stop fighting it means you stopped caring," Jenna told her and she saw the look of worry on Elena's face because her and Stefan seemed to think fighting was too much of a hassle. She looked like she totally second guessing her relationship and Jenna wasn't sure that was the best example. She loved Elena with Stefan and thought he was an amazing boyfriend to her but Elena's happiness meant the most. "Well then again there is also that quote, Relationships don't always make sense. Especially from the outside" Jenna added hoping to let Elena know that only her and Stefan knew what their relationship meant.

"Sorry to break up the girl talk but we got a van full of people who hate each other to get back to" came Damon's voice as he was now standing behind them holding the map he had just bought. "Oh what are you getting me?" Damon chirped as he reached and grabbed a chocolate bar from Elena's hands.

"I'll get you a black eye!" She snapped as she snatched her chocolate back from him.

"I'd like to see you try" Damon challenged her before he started to saunter out of the store and head back to the van of hell.

Getting back on the road the fighting in the van didn't settle much but at least they took time to eat. They drove for about two more hours fighting about what to listen to on the radio and how high the air condition was on. Rebekah and Caroline were especially driving Damon nuts and he was ready to just toss them to the side of the road and watch them try to hitch hike on this very deserted road. There was a point Damon was about to bring the van to a halt to yell at them but before he could the van suddenly there was a bit of a pop sound and then van jerked and started to lean to one side as Damon's steering was wobbling and had everyone in the van tossing side to side in their seats. "Damn it!" Damon mumbled not quite sure what had happened.

"What the hell did you do?" Alaric yelled at Damon as he pushed Rebekah off him as she was leaning against him.

"I didn't do anything, this van is a piece of CRAP!" he snapped back as he opened up the door and moved to the passenger side where the van was leaning. The back doors opened and they all jumped out as Damon was crouched in front of back tire on the passenger side, or at least what use to be the tire.

The tire was now folded in half and had obviously popped. Damon shook his head not believing their luck and ran his fingers through his black hair. "We blew a tire," he told them.

Alaric gave a nod because this wasn't the end of the world, "We'll be fine, we have the spare in the back" he reminded Damon and then Stefan quickly moved to open up the back. It was then that both Caroline and Rebekah gave each other guilty looks because they knew they weren't going to find the spare tire in the van.

"It's not here!" Stefan yelled getting both Damon and Alaric's attention.

"What are you talking about it's right…" as Damon and Alaric came around to stand next to Stefan they were staring at Caroline and Rebekah's bags, where the spare tire use to be. You could pretty much see the steam coming out of their ears as they turned to glare at the guilty looking girls.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" Damon yelled. Here they were in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in North Carolina, with a popped tire, a group stranded and cell service that was pretty much non-existent. What the hell were they going to do?

* * *

**uh oh things aren't looking good for the gang! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What kind of idiot takes out the spare tire?" Damon snapped at the two girls who look as guilty as sin.

"How was I supposed to know we would need it?" Rebekah snapped back as she folded her arms.

"That's the point of a spare tire, dear sister! You don't need it until you do!" Kol yelled at her, as he couldn't believe they are taken the tire out to make room for their whole wardrobe.

"Sorry" Caroline said as she saw all the upset and annoyed faced as everyone realized they were stranded on a quiet road and who knew how far the next town was.

Elena was leaning against the van with Stefan, Alaric and Jenna while looking around at the wooded area that surround them and wondered what was out there. They stood there while Damon and Kol were taking turns yelling about the stupidity of the spoiled brats. A part of Elena felt bad for Caroline and believe it or not even Rebekah for the way Damon was laying into them but she also was pissed that they were stuck here unable go anywhere.

"How far are we from the next town?" Stefan asked knowing that it would be getting dark soon.

Damon shrugged his shoulders as he tried to remember the last sign he had seen on the road. "By car it was about half an hour but walking, could be five or six hours," he told them.

"So what now?" Bonnie asked as she was sitting in the van with on of her textbooks open as she decided to take this time to study rather then join in on the fight.

"Well I guess some of us should go and maybe see what is up ahead or if there is anything up ahead" Damon told them.

"How far do we have to walk?" Rebekah asked as if it was such a hassle that she was going to have to walk. "These aren't the best shoes for walking," she added.

Damon gave a vicious laugh and then shook his head, "You're not coming," he told her as he started to walk away. "Kol and I will see what we can find," he told them as the two started to walk away from the group and then broken down van.

"Damon!" Rebekah called out not wanting him to leave her.

"Save it" Kol yelled back as they continued on walking and a little bit faster from what Rebekah could tell.

Alaric looked around at the miserable faces around him including Caroline and Rebekah who had now turned on each other and were blaming the other. Looking over and Damon and Kol walking away he tried to decide on the lesser of two evils. Stay behind with whiny blonds or walk along the road with Damon and his snarky comments. "Sorry ladies but I think I will tag along make sure they don't leave us stranded" Alaric told them and then took off running after Damon and Kol.

"Wait what about me?" Stefan yelled and then saw Damon turn around with a smile as he was left with all the girls.

"You get to play referee" Damon teased and got a laugh out of Kol while Carline and Rebekah continued to complain about each other.

Stefan gritted his teeth and while scratching his head he took a seat on the edge of the open door of the van and put his head down. Elena was standing beside him rolling her eyes as Caroline and Rebekah continued to fight while Damon and the other quickly got away.

"How long are you going to be?" Elena yelled not wanting to be left standing here for hours on end. She got no answer from any of them as they were too far away at this point and they were all left here to do nothing but wait.

"So much for a relaxing spring break" Jenna stated sadly as it looked like they weren't going to be making it to West Palm Beach today. Checking her watched Jenna knew it was going to get dark soon and if they didn't find shelter soon they would be stuck sleeping in the van on the side of the road. "Elena how about we take a walk see what we can find" Jenna asked her as she started to head into the woods.

"Wait where are you going?" Stefan asked nervously.

"Don't worry we're just going to check the surroundings" Jenna told him. Both her and Elena started to walk towards the woods and Bonnie decided to join them on their walk while Stefan was now truly left alone with Caroline and Rebekah.

"What are you hoping to find?" Elena asked Jenna as the three were walking through the woods.

"I saw a lot of signs for cottages not to long ago so hopefully we can find some kind of shelter if the guys don't come up with anything."

"That or we will be stuck in that van and I don't think we would all survive it at this point" Bonnie stated as the tension in the van was getting worse instead of better.

"I'm starting to think it's a sign," Elena said with a sad sigh as she hopped over a log and waited on the other side for Bonnie and Jenna to do the same.

"Sign for what?" Bonnie asked her friend curiously.

Elena bit her bottom lip and looked over at Jenna who knew exactly what she as talking about. "I wouldn't blame a popped tire on that," Jenna told her with a smile.

"Well what was suppose to be a trip to save our relationship is getting off to a very bad start so much so that the trip itself may not even happen" Elena told her.

"Your too superstitious" Jenna answered as she shook her head. "Besides a trip can't save a relationship, only the two of you can" Jenna explained.

"You're not thinking about breaking up with Stefan are you?" Bonnie asked in shock. She knew the two were having issues of their relationship becoming a little bit sour but she just thought they need a change of scenery and they would be back to their adorable selves soon enough but by the sound of Elena's tone and the fact she wasn't denying possible breaking up with Stefan she couldn't believe it. "But Elena its you and Stefan" Bonnie told her.

"I don't know what I'm going to do" Elena assured her, the last thing she needed was people blabbering and it getting back to Stefan before they had a chance to really talk. She loved Stefan, she really did but the problem was she didn't think she was still in love with Stefan any more. Some say "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" so maybe she needed to space to see if that made any difference but at the same time if they did grow apart they may not find their way back to each other.

* * *

"You know I was hoping for a nice spring break that didn't involved fighting and having to stick around with people I don't like" Damon said as him and he guys were walking down the street hoping to find something.

"You don't like anyone" Alaric clarified.

"Which is why I wanted to spend spring break in a bunch of strangers I could abandon at anytime I want. As always I'm stuck with you people until I leave that boring small town for good. Especially girls who think taking out the spare tire so there is more room for their crap is a good idea" he called back as he shook his head.

Damon couldn't believe that this was actually happening, that they were all stuck in the middle of nowhere stranded. This wouldn't have happened if they hadn't invited half the town to join them on this trip. Rebekah may be fun in bed but her personality otherwise was selfish and annoying. The Mikaelson's came from money and while Kol and the brothers all seemed a bit more down to earth, Rebekah seem to think she was the center on everyone's world. Anything she wanted she got and her prices and expectation were getting ridiculously high but her doting parents couldn't say no to her and she always got her way.

"This would be so much better if it was just us, no whiney women on our backs" Damon stated. "Maybe Jenna, she is able handle herself and her alcohol," he added with a laugh. "But women like Rebekah and Caroline don't mix well with machinery."

"I once had a girlfriend who backed my convertible into a fire hydrant, car was wet for a week!" Alaric told as he shook his head remembering the moment.

"Well then it's no wonder you date women on the other side of the country!" Damon laughed as he pulled out a flask and took a drink.

"And its no wonder you packed alcohol for the walk" Alaric chimed back as Damon passed him the flask as the two laughed about spoiled women and machinery. Kol was walking along side them and he found himself having to pinch himself to see if it was really true. Damon and Alaric seemed to be bonding, what was happening on this trip?

* * *

Checking his phone Stefan was walking in circles around the van as he tried to get a signal hoping to call someone for assistance but he wasn't having much luck. With a sigh Stefan walked slowly back over to the van and took a seat and checked the time. It would be getting dark in a couple hours so he hoped that Elena and the others would be back soon.

Rebekah was kicking the gravel road while pacing back and forth and checking down the road to see if the others were coming back. She was never one for sitting back and waiting around. Being the only daughter in the family she always got the attentions she wanted and always got her way. Patients was never Rebekah's best quality and in this case having to sit around in an old van waiting for the others to come back was not something she wanted to be doing. In fact she wanted to be on the beach right now not stuck in the middle of nowhere on her week off from school. "How much longer are they going to be?" she complained to Stefan.

"Not long hopefully" he told her with a forced smile before looking away from her and down at his feet as he mumbled, "For my sake."

"There has to be something out there," Caroline stated as she came to sit next to Stefan. "There has to be something nearby" she added.

"There better be because I can't sleep in that van" Rebekah stated as she shook her head.

"Good you can sleep outside then" Caroline chimed back with a smirk.

Rebekah glared at Caroline for a moment and was about to say something back but Stefan put an end to it before she could. He was stuck babysitting them for who knew how long by himself and he wasn't about to listen to the two of them fight over every little damn thing. Licking his lips Stefan pulled out his phone once again to give it another shot and see if he could possibly get a signal. Yet it was no good he couldn't even manage to get a single bar on his phone.

Leaving Rebekah to huff and pout in the van Caroline got up and followed Stefan into the middle of the road while he held out his phone not getting any luck at all. She could tell that something was obviously bothering him and had been for quiet sometime. "Hey, you okay?" she asked him as she tucked a piece of her curly blond hair behind her ear.

Stefan turned to look at Caroline and tried to force a smile but considering him and Caroline had known each other since they were three and playing in the sandbox she could see right through it. "It's Elena," he told her sadly with a sigh.

Caroline gave a nod knowing that the two had been having problems lately and how this trip was hopefully help them rekindle what they may of lost. For the last six years Caroline considered their love epic and one that was going to make it through anything but she had notice the change in their relationship but she refused to believe they couldn't make it through because if their love couldn't last how was she suppose to believe she could find love.

"Look I know things have been difficult for you guys lately but it's just a rough patch, things will get better" Caroline assured him with a smile. "Once summer gets here and you don't have to stress of school you guys will be okay."

"You have more faith in our relationship then we do" Stefan told her with a sad laugh.

"I guess I could be your personal cheerleader" Caroline told him with a giggle.

He gave a nod while looking towards the woods where Elena had wondered off with her aunt and possibly an excuse to get away from him. "I'm not even sure you cheering us on could stop me from losing her," he told her sadly.

"You'll be fine, we have hit a bit of a bump but this time tomorrow you two will be lying on the beach getting ready to watch the sunset. It will be romantic and this whole talk about a rough patch will be a distant memory," she told him and he wished he could be as sure about it as Caroline was.

"Things haven't really be the same since her parents died," he told her honestly and while he wished he could deny they were having trouble that far back it was true. "I'm losing her, we are growing part and as much as I love her and god I do love her… but it seems like we are both giving up and walking away. We're not fighting for each other and at this point I think if we actually fought and had an argument it would be an improvement."

* * *

Wondering a little further the girls kept an eye on the their time knowing that they would have to be turning around soon as it would be getting dark soon and they didn't want getting lost in the woods. Looking around Elena and the girls had pretty much stayed quiet after the conversation about Elena and Stefan and the silence was actually a blessing to Elena.

"We should turn back soon" Bonnie finally said to break the silence as the girls continued walking around.

"Yeah your… oh wait!" Jenna called out and then picked up the pace. Both Elena and Bonnie looked over at Jenna as she ran through the woods and came to a small narrow road. Not that far from it they saw what looked to be a small cabin and they were all relieved to see it. Running over to the cabin the girls took a look around and found that it seemed to be abandoned and had been for quite some time. The front steps were broken and a thick layer of dust covered the windows like frost.

Walking around the property before making their way to the front door it seemed that no one ever came up here and at least for tonight it would give the gang some shelter so they wouldn't have to squeeze into the van. Jenna tried to door and it was unlock so they made their way inside. It was nothing fancy, just a room with a small fireplace and kitchenette. There was an old couch that hadn't been touched in years probably but there was enough floor space for them to have their sleeping bags out.

"I guess this will have to do if they guys don't come up with anything" Bonnie said with a nodded liking the idea of them all sleeping in here instead in the van on the side of the road.

As the girls headed back and made their way to the van they saw the guys walking down the road and they seemed like their adventure wasn't as successful in finding anything. Elena and the girls filled Stefan, Caroline and Rebekah in on the plan for shelter and started to unpack their things.

"You can't be serious" Rebekah complained as she listened to Jenna telling them all about the old cabin. Being use to what five star style living she was definitely not a fan of spending the nigh in some dusty old cabin. "I… I can't sleep on the floor!" she snapped at them.

"Then you'll sleep in the broken down van" Kol yelled as him, Damon and Alaric arrive back.

"Shut up Kol" Rebekah yelled at her brother.

"Please give it a rest," Bonnie moaned. She had spent a good 30 min away from Rebekah and yet she had done nothing but whine since they came back.

"Damon please tell me there is something other then an old cabin we can stay in" Rebekah asked a she tried to sweet talk Damon into standing up for her.

Unfortunately for her Damon wasn't the mood to deal with her and rolled his eyes. "Sleep in the van for all I care!"

"I think the rest of us would appreciate that," Alaric stated.

"Trust me after a few drinks, her whining is white noise" Damon whispered to Alaric although it was loud enough that he heard.

"So rude" Rebekah stated as she started to carry her suitcase thought the woods and towards the cabin.

Damon, Alaric and Kol started to laugh and it didn't go unnoticed by the others that once mortal enemies Damon and Alaric now seemed to be best buds. Especially when it came to making sure they brought all the alcohol. "We will be stuck in a cabin with her all night, we will need these."

"You think getting drunk is the best idea?" Stefan asked.

Damon shrugged his shoulders and then pulled on his backpack and grabbed two bottles of bourbon along with Alaric. "There will be two things bourbon can help us with, one being that sexy Bex won't be such a annoyance and two you can pass out anywhere and sleep" he joked.

"That or get her drunk and she can maybe be a lot more fun" Alaric joked back with Damon.

"You guys are SO rude!" Rebekah cried out as she carried her suitcases to the old cabin that was beneath what she was use to. She didn't understand why they all seemed to think it was such a great idea to stay here but that just showed Rebekah that she may have more class that them she thought.

Elena was eyeing the two as her and Stefan walked through the woods towards the cabin behind Damon and Alaric. Seeing them getting along was such a foreign thing for Elena and she wondered what could of happen that had these two getting along so well. "When did that happen?" Elena asked Stefan.

"Apparently they bonded over how spoiled women shouldn't handle machinery or vehicles, while drinking their bourbon" Stefan told her as he shook his head at his brother.

"Well seems we will be in for a very interesting night" Elena stated as they all arrive at the cabin that would be their home for a least a night.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As darkness fell upon them, they were all thankful for the shelter the cabin was providing especially with a storm coming. The wind had picked up and they could hear the cracking of the wooden walls and the rattling of the window as the wind whistled throughout the night.

Caroline had done a quick cleaning of the place, dusting the windows and fluffing the pillows on the couch trying to make the old cabin a little homier. Laying out the sleeping bags on the ground Caroline made sure everyone had enough room as well as making sure Rebekah was on the opposite side.

Stefan came into the cabin carrying fire logs to put in the fireplace and warm up the place for everyone. As he set them down on the ground by the fireplace he started to build the fire while Elena came into the room wearing her pajamas and carrying her diary. While Stefan built the fire, Elena got herself comfortable on the couch, opening her diary and flipping through the pages that started with her describing her amazing relationship with Stefan. As she read over the entries it felt a little foreign now. Looking up at Stefan he was the fire going and Elena kept wondering what was wrong with her. Any girl would be happy and lucky to have a guy like Stefan that loved them and yet she found herself not being able to appreciate everything about him. Getting comfortable on the couch she started to write a new entry just as Stefan was taking a seat on the other side of the couch with a book.

With the fire crackling the others were starting to reappear in the room, Jenna and then girls huddled around the warm fire while Damon, Alaric and Kol got set up for a drinking game at the small kitchen table. Elena was still shocked as the sudden bromance between Damon and Alaric who now seemed to be getting along like they had been friends for years.

"This place is cold and smells terrible, how long do we have to stay here?" Rebekah complained as she had her sleeping back wrapped around her while she complained to Damon and her brother.

"Take a shot!" Alaric called out and as they ignored Rebekah and all three took a shot.

"What are you doing?" Rebekah asked, "are you all just planning to get drunk off your asses?"

"Try and relax Bex" Damon told her.

"I don't want to relax I want to get out of here!" she snapped at him.

"Shot" Kol called out with a laugh and then all three took another shot of bourbon.

Letting out a grunt Rebekah spun on her heels and stomped off to sit by the fire next to Bonnie and Jenna who were watching as the guys were laughing and drinking. "Really, you guys are just going to get drunk? How predictable of you Damon" Bonnie said, as she looked anything but pleased.

"That's a shot!" Damon called out and then Kol and Alaric picked up their shot glasses and through back another one.

"What are you guys doing?" Jenna asked, as the guys seemed to have their own little inside joke as they were drinking and taking shot after shot.

"Playing a drinking game" Kol told her, "Come on join in!" he invited as he set a shot glass on the table.

Caroline rolled her eyes at the guys as she sat by the fire and warmed herself up. "Of course you're playing a drinking game," Caroline stated.

"SHOT!" Damon yelled out and with a laugh they all took a shot.

"That's not a drinking game that's just Damon's regular Friday nightt special" Elena stated with a huff.

"And Shot!" Kol yelled with a laugh, "god this is getting us drunk, whose idea was this?"

"That would be Ric" Damon said as he pointed at Alaric.

"Wait you call him Ric now? Since when did you two become friends?" Caroline asked finding this to be a very strange friendship.

"Well sharing a girlfriend does create a weird connection"

"Oh that's a shot!" Damon yelled and poured everyone another shot. "And correction she wasn't my girlfriend."

Jenna looked between the guys as she got up from her spot on the floor by the fireplace and made her way to the table and took a seat at the empty chair. "What exactly are the rules to this drinking game?" she asked them as Damon slid a shot glass towards her.

"See if you can figure it out" Damon challenged her.

"This is so boring, can we please do something else" Rebekah begged.

"SHOT!" the three guys yelled.

Jenna took the shot along with the guys and as she put the shot glass back on the table and let out a giggle. The three guys smiled at each other and then poured another glass and took a shot.

"I don't get it" Caroline said as she stood up and watched the guys and they're made up drinking game.

"What's to get they drink and drink, sounds just like Damon favorite game" Stefan stated as he flipped through his book. Elena looked over at Stefan who didn't find the game fun at all and yet Elena found herself attracted to the game that seemed to be a lot more fun then what she was doing.

"Your just mad you wouldn't be able to keep up," Damon teased and Stefan just furrowed his brow and shook his head at his brother as they took another shot. They continued taking shots and Damon and Alaric were really hammered at this point. Jenna was almost as bad and the more she drank the more she giggled and that meant the guys had to take another shot.

"At least some of us are enjoying the trip," Elena said with a sigh.

"I don't see how drinking until you are falling over is fun" Stefan said as he shook his head.

Elena bit her bottom lip as she looked over at Bonnie who was studying, Caroline doing her nails by the fire, Rebekah pouting in the corner and Stefan reading on the other side of the couch. This was insane they were suppose to be having fun because they were on spring break and yet the majority of them sat around doing nothing. "That's it" Elena said as she hopped off the couch and getting the attention of Stefan, Bonnie and Caroline.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked her as he eyed her closely while he furrowed his brow.

"SHOT!" Kol yelled and Stefan turned and glared at them, which only had them doing another shot.

"LOOK I GET WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING!" Stefan stated.

"Getting on our nerves, yes they are" Bonnie mumbled.

"SHOT!"

"Look we are on spring break and I'm not just going to sit around here and mope" Elena told Stefan who still seemed shocked as Elena was walking over to the table.

"Pour me one" Elena ordered as she walked over to the table as Alaric was pouring her a drink.

"Miss goodie, goodie is coming to the dark side," Damon teased and Elena glared at him as she took the shot.

After throwing back the shot, Elena felt the burn of the alcohol and scrunched up her nose as she swallowed. "God that is awful" she stated as she gave a shudder.

"Well have another it will soon taste better" Damon promised and held the bottle while Elena held her glass out for another one.

"Pour another before Kol loses anymore of his clothes" Elena said with a laugh as she looked at Kol who was doing what he usually did when he was drunk; he started to remove his clothes and toss them around the room while he danced.

"You know if I wasn't already drunk I would find this very awkward," Jenna said with a giggle.

"I believe that means shot," Elena said with a smile and everyone cheered and took another shot. As they threw back their shots, Elena found herself letting loose and actually enjoying herself for the first time during the trip.

Stefan was watching as they took shot after shot and Elena was up and dancing with a half naked Kol at this point. He figured it as about time he stepped in, "She's gone mad!" Bonnie stated as she watched her friend jumping around while taking shot after shot of bourbon. Getting up from his spot on the couch Stefan walked over to Elena and gently put his hand on her arm to get her attention and she almost fell over in the process. "Maybe you have had enough" Stefan suggested.

"Oh she is fine" Damon stated with a laugh as he wrapped an arm around her and handed her another shot. "Get ready the furrow brow is coming," he whispered and as if right on cue Stefan furrows his brow while staring at his brother. Elena let out a giggle and then threw back her shot.

"Elena, come on your done" Stefan told her as he tried to pull her away from the bad influence Damon.

"No!" Elena laughed as she pulled herself away from Stefan. "Stefan I'm not even drunk," Elena told him as she shook her head and looked around for someone to pour her another one.

"Seriously Elena how are you not on the floor yet?" Jenna asked as she was leaning against Alaric so that she wouldn't fall off her chair.

"If anything the dancing is sobering you up," Damon laughed as he spun her around before pulling her back in to dance.

The scene was so weird to Stefan as he watched Damon and Elena laughing and for the first time in probably their lives they were getting along. Caroline and Bonnie also found it very strange to see the two getting along as they laughed and drank with Alaric, Jenna and Kol. It was hard to believe that a group of people who usually didn't get along were laughing and carrying on as if they were the best of friends. Instead of biting each other's heads off Elena and Damon seemed to be getting along and actually enjoying being around each other, which was not the case when they were sober.

"This is like a alternate universe!" Caroline told Stefan as she watch as Elena let lose and was having fun with Damon.

"All I can say is that tomorrow morning isn't going to be pretty," Stefan stated.

Sure enough their drinking game fun came to an end and the rest of the night involved Elena's head over a toilet and Stefan holding her hair back. She was in for a long night and was cursing Damon and Ric for continuing to feed her alcohol. As bad as she felt she took in some comfort that at the same time she was hunched over the toilet Damon and the guys were outside dealing with the aftermath of their made up drinking game as well.

* * *

The next morning as the sun was shining into the cabin and the sound of birds chirping filled the room Elena let out a tired groan. Covering her head she had a massive headache from her night of fun and the payback was a killer. Looking around she checked the time and then noticed that Stefan was up and standing outside. With everyone else still sleeping Elena figured that maybe this would be the best time to talk to Stefan alone with out the influence of anyone else. She got up and her body moved very slowly as she got to her feet and then wrapped her sleeping bag around her. Stepping over Caroline and Bonnie, she looked over to see both Damon and Alaric passed out away from their sleeping bags while Kol seemed to have his plus Damon and Alaric's sleeping bag wrapped around himself. Jenna had claimed the couch the other night and had a trashcan by her face incase she needed it during the night.

Stepping over everyone, Elena quietly snuck outside and slowly walked over to the tree Stefan was leaning against. He smiled when he saw her strolling over to him and he quickly noticed that this was probably not a very good morning for her given she only got about two hours of sleep after leaving her post at the toilet. "Hangover still in full swing?" Stefan asked her and Elena gave a mumbled for a response.

Stefan gave a smile and shook his head as he thought back to how Elena wanted to be carefree and now was paying deeply for it. "I told you not to try and keep up with Damon and Kol," he told her.

"Yeah last night I wasn't really the smartest person," Elena said with a laugh. "I definitely should of stopped drinking before Kol suggested the no hands shot challenge" she said as she brushed her hair back behind her hear. "Though I did come in second with four in a row," Elena stated proudly.

"Because Alaric couldn't stop laughing and Kol couldn't navigate himself from one shot glass to the next" Stefan told her.

"I like to see it as, I was this close to beating Damon" Elena told him as she held her thumb and index finger about an inch apart to show how close the contest was.

"Yeah well either way I'm sure you are regretting it now "Stefan stated with a smile as he looked over at Elena who just seemed to be thinking over the other night and whether she regretted it or not. "You do regret it right? I mean getting drunk isn't you" Stefan told her.

Elena gave a sigh as she though about it, "Well why not, I mean we are 21 not 81 we should be having fun" Elena told him as she shrugged her shoulders.

"And you think getting so drunk you can't stand on your own two feet is fun?"

Elena let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, "it wasn't about getting that drunk it was about letting go of all our problems for one night and just having fun" Elena told him.

"Our problems?" Stefan asked as he realized her little out of character night was due to forgetting about them. "You got drunk to forget about us?"

"Don't say it like that Stefan" Elena said a she rolled her eyes.

"Then how should I see it Elena? Last night was not you," he stated.

Elena let out a sigh as she brushed her hair back and tried to understand where Stefan was coming from. Yet the thing was she had a lot of fun for probably the first time in a long time. It had been a long time since she had laughed and smiled all night. Sure it was weird that it involved Damon and his drinking games but either way she had fun. She was 21 and this was spring break and even though it wasn't exactly the greatest start to spring break it was nice to let loose for a night. "Well maybe I need a change!" Elena snapped at him with a huff. "Things have been so blah and predictable lately that I needed to do something different."

"And how much of a change do you want Elena?" he asked her as he gave her a serious tone and then his eyes bore in hers. Although he wasn't saying it she knew he was talking about them and their relationship. With things between them being rocky for quite some time he wondered if her change would be so drastic as to break up.

"Stefan you know I love" Elena said as she stepped closer to him and took his hands in hers. "You were my rock when I lost my parents and I'm not sure I would of made it through it without you. We have been through so much together and I'm not sure what I would ever do without you," she told him as tears were in her eyes. "But I don't think we should stay together because its familiar, we could end up resenting each other later on" she added.

Stefan wrapped his arms around her tightly and they held onto each other as they thought about everything they had been through in the six years they had been together and everything before as well. This wasn't just a break up with a boyfriend girlfriend, they had been best friends practically from birth and they didn't want to lose that.

"But I can't imagine not having you in my life" Elena told him as her head was resting on his shoulder as her arms were wrapped about him tightly.

"Hey," Stefan said calmly as he pulled back and cupped her face as he saw tears in her eyes while his was were also watery. "That will never happen I promise you" he told her and as he stared into her eyes he hoped she would believe him because he didn't want to imagine a life without her even if they were just friends.

As the fear of losing him completely went away Elena gave a nod and wiped away her tears. "Okay" was all she could say as she leaned back in to the hug and let out a shaking breathe. She was so thankful that no matter what happened with them in the future she was happy to know that she was never going to lose her best friend.

* * *

Inside the cabin Caroline and Bonnie were watching through the window with smiles on their faces as they watched Elena and Stefan hugging outside. "I think its going well!" Caroline chimed happily as she clapped her hands in excitement.

"Of course they did, they are Stefan and Elena" Bonnie said happily.

"Well now that their relationship is back on track I can focus on keeping your head out of the books" Caroline said as she the two walked over to the kitchen where they found Damon and Alaric hunched over the table looking very wrecked after their foolish night of drinking.

"I'm guessing you regret using us as part of your drinking game huh?" Caroline said as she was looking through their box of food for something to eat.

Damon was squinting his eyes and the sound of Caroline's screeching voice was not at all helping his hangover. "Maybe if you weren't so whiny and didn't roll your eyes at us so often we wouldn't be like this.

"We could have gotten drunk if we just played by you rolling your eyes and Rebekah complaining" Alaric mumbled as he covered his face. "Never mind drinking when Damon was sarcastic, Stefan frowned, Jenna giggled, Elena bickered with Damon."

"Or you mentioning your ex Isobel, Bonnie looking disappointed, or Kol losing an article of clothing which didn't take long" Damon said as he nodded toward Kol as he was slowly starting to wake up as he only had his boxers on at this point. He was looking around very confused as to where he was and wondered how his clothes were scattered all over the room.

"Well it serves you right" Bonnie stated with a smile as she loudly looking through the box of food for something to eat.

"Not so loud" Damon begged as he bowed his head in pain.

Just then Elena and Stefan walked back into the cabin and both couldn't help but laugh at how horrible Damon and Alaric looked. The two had drunk the most the night before as they continued long after everyone else had to bail out. "Oh look it's Damon's usually morning after look," Elena teased.

"I look a lot better then you" Damon snapped a back. "I'm not the one who cuddled with the toilet last night" he added with a smirk. Elena shook her head and rolled her eyes as she stepped further into the room just as Jenna was waking up over on the couch. Moving to get something to eat her and Stefan had decided to keep their break up to themselves for a bit and would try to act as normal as possible. Elena was at least happy that things with Damon were back to normal as they bickered over everything again now that they were sober.

"Alright pass me the last bit of the bourbon," Damon said as he reached for the bottle and poured him and Ric a glass.

"Really bourbon for breakfast, haven't you two had enough?" Jenna asked as she slipped on to an empty chair and rested her head on Alaric's shoulder while dealing with her own hangover.

"Hey, getting drunk is the best way to get rid of a hangover sweetie" Damon said as he laughed at Jenna. Holding up his glass Damon and Alaric clanked their glasses together before they threw back their drink hoping to rid themselves of the hangovers as soon as possible.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, let me know what you think! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

For breakfast Elena remained quiet and her and Stefan did their best to avoid any conversation of their relationship with the group. Caroline of course wasn't making things easy as she couldn't help but gush over how happy to see that everything was okay with what Caroline called an epic couple.

Needing some air Elena excused herself from the cabin and after grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler she headed out the door. Her body was stiff and she chewed on her bottom lip as she wondered over to the campfire circle and sat on the log with a sigh. After taking a sip from the bottle to twisted the cap back on and set the plastic bottle beside her as she bowed her head and let out a sad sigh. All breakfast all she got from Caroline was how cute her and Stefan were and how perfect their love was. She couldn't take it anymore, because it was all a lie. If it was true her and Stefan wouldn't of been having the problems they were.

Kicking the dirt under her shoes, Elena hunched over and just listened to the peaceful sounds of the leaves blowing in the wind and the birds chirping all around her. It had been years since she had been camping, actually she hadn't been since her parents died and she really missed the peacefulness it offered. Licking her lips Elena tugged on the hair tie she had on her wrist and pulled it off so that she could tie her hair up in a high ponytail so it was out of her eyes. After sitting there for a few moments alone she could hear the sound of trigs snapping under shoes. Looking up she saw Caroline and Bonnie walking towards her and to be honest Elena wasn't really in the mood for anymore "you and Stefan are so great" speech that they loved so dearly.

"Everything okay?" Bonnie asked as she took a seat on one side of Elena while Caroline sat on the other.

"Of course everything is fine" Caroline chimed in before Elena could answer. Elena looked up at Bonnie and forced a smile but didn't say anything before she looked out into the woods. Caroline seemed to be satisfied but Bonnie not so much.

"Elena" Bonnie said as she watched her friend knowing something wasn't right.

"Everything is fine" Elena lied as she forced a smile, before quickly looking away so she wouldn't detect hesitation. Yet although it worked on Caroline, Bonnie wasn't that easy to fool.

Bonnie stared at her friend and then let out a sigh, "Look I may be a study addict…"

"May be?" Caroline interrupted with a giggle.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and shook her head before focusing back on Elena who was now staring at her feet as if praying she wouldn't have to discuss the matter any further. Bonnie knew her best friend better then anyone and wasn't about to let things go so easily. "Elena what's wrong?"

She continued to stare at her shoes as they dug into the dirt trying to think of a lie she could tell. She did her best not to look up at Bonnie because she knew that she wouldn't be able to lie once she looked her friend in the eyes. Unfortunately for her Bonnie was very persistent and made Elena looked at her. As soon as their eyes met, tears started to flood out of Elena's eyes and she couldn't hold back any more. "Stefan and I broke up," she finally blurted out before bowing her head.

"WHAT?" Caroline snapped in shock and watched in confusion as Bonnie was hugging Elena. She couldn't understand how this was possible. Everything seemed fine over breakfast; the two had shared a hug in the morning. It didn't make any sense that they were broken up now. "NO that, that can't be true" Caroline said in horror. "Elena, it's you and Stefan," she said but Elena didn't seem to be listening as she clung to Bonnie and cried.

* * *

"Yeah I don't think it's working" Kol complained after finishing his glass of bourbon hoping to rid himself of a hangover.

"You got to suffer before it gets better," Damon told him as he finished his cup.

"I was in bad shape before!" Kol snapped back as he lay his head on the kitchen table.

"I can't believe you took their advice" Jenna said as she handed Kol a glass of water and set a plate of toast in front of him.

"I don't know what your complaining about but it's working for a me," Damon said with a smile. Kol looked up at his buddy with a grunt because if wasn't fair that someone who drank as much as him could look so good.

'That would be because instead of blood flowing through his veins he has alcohol" Stefan scoffed as he came into the room and took a seat on the sofa.

"I'd believe that" Ric said as he nodded his head.

"Says the guy who has drank as much as me" Damon snapped back.

"Can we please stop the yelling" Kol groaned as his arms covered his head that was pressed against the table. Hangovers were always the devil for Kol and anything louder then a whisper was too noisy for him. Yet much to his dismay he didn't get his wish as a loud bang of the front door slamming shut got the attention everyone. They turned to see Caroline standing there and she looked pretty upset. "Uh Oh Blondie is mad at someone" Damon said quietly to Kol as they watched the angry blonde storm into the room. "It can't be me, because nothing I do should a surprise her."

"STEFAN!" she yelled and everyone in the room turned and looked at Stefan as he was sitting on the sofa reading. Stefan looked up shocked that Caroline was here for him but as he stared at the blond with her hands on her hips he knew she meant business. "I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU!" she ordered and nodded for him to follow her outside.

With a little hesitation at first Stefan set his book down and got to his feet. Jenna was standing in the kitchen next to Alaric and the guys at the kitchen table as they watched and wondered what was going on.

"Don't worry brother, I'll send out a search party if you don't come back" Damon called out as he watched his brother leave the cabin to face the wrath of Caroline Forbes.

"What the hell do you think he did?" Jenna asked as she took a seat the table with the guys. They all shrugged their shoulders before turning back and pouring some more bourbon while Jenna sat there biting her nails wondering what was going on. "Honestly this trip keeps getting weirder and weirder."

"Lets drink to that" Damon stated with a smile and Kol only let out a painful groan as he hid his face again.

* * *

"You sure you know what your doing?" Bonnie asked Elena as the two stood in the woods after Caroline stormed off to do who knows what.

"It wasn't something we just decided out of the blue" Elena replied with a sigh as she looked at her friend who was only looking out for her best interest. "I love him, but I don't think I'm in love with him anymore" Elena said quietly before she bit her bottom lip and looked down at the ground sadly.

Before Bonnie could comments the two heard the stomping of shoes on dirt. Looking up towards the cabin both girls saw Caroline pulling Stefan by the sleeve towards them. "What is she doing?" Bonnie mumbled as she watched Caroline bring Stefan along and probably against his will.

"Caroline can we not do this now?" Stefan begged Caroline, as he didn't really feel like listening to Caroline lecture him and Elena when they are just broken up a few hours ago.

"NO. NO YOU GUYS NEED TO WORK THIS OUT!" Caroline snapped at them as she pushed Stefan in front of Elena who looked just as unhappy about this as he did. "You are going to talk, you are going to find out what is wrong and, you are going to fix it!" Caroline snapped at them.

"Caroline" Bonnie started to say but Caroline cut her off not letting anyone talk her out of this.

"You love each other, you have an epic love story of knowing each as kids that fell in love and became high school sweet hearts" Caroline stated angrily at the two.

"It's not that simple Caroline" Elena stated with a sigh.

"YES IT IS!" Caroline snapped back with her hands on her hips. "We are not leaving here until you guys make up," she told them and Bonnie just rolled her eyes knowing that there was no way to talk Caroline out of her desperate attempted to get them back together.

"Look Caroline, your support is great but we have made up our minds" Elena told her friend although her statement fell of deaf ears for Caroline. Elena had her arms crossed and was glaring at Caroline; while Stefan had his head down as was kicking the dirt.

"Noq we are going to stand out here and we are going to go over everything that made you guys fall in love and then everything is going to go back to the way it is suppose to be!"

"Caroline" Stefan said with a sigh as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"You were 15, Stefan you were so pumped about trying out for the basketball team and Elena you were doing amazing on the cheerleading team. Two days before the tryouts for basketball you broke your leg in a bicycle accident and you couldn't try out. You had been dreaming of being on the high school basketball team for years and one accident put an end to that dream. You were devastated by it because all your friends were there and you couldn't be, and knowing how upset you were Elena came and hung out at your house during the time of tryouts to keep your mind off it."

Biting her lip Elena kicked the ground as she thought back to all those times she spent with Stefan during the basketball tryouts and how she was able to keep his mind off it. Looking up she stared at Stefan for a moment before averting her eyes again.

"You two were best friends and then over the course of those two weeks you got to know each other even better and fell in love" Caroline told them and she watched as the two remembered those memories fondly.

"You two even tried playing wheelchair basketball and made up new games involving your wheelchair" Caroline said with a sigh as she remembered the time she went over to visit and the two were both so in the zone of their Wheelchair basketball.

"Wheel chair basketball is so much harder then it looks" Stefan said with a laugh as he remembered how horrible the two of them were at it.

"I was better then you" Elena teases and Stefan just laughed.

"See you can't let memories like that go to waste!" Caroline told them. "You had your first date at Mystic Grill, and although you didn't have a lot of money from your allowance, Elena you still saved up to get Stefan that leather jacket he had been eyeing for like ever. You were so excited to let him open his present that you snuck over to his house so you could give it to him a midnight." She told them.

It was true Stefan and Elena had many great memories during the time there were together. Everyone in high school new them as a perfect couple who were popular but never really took any notice of their popularity. They got their drivers license together, got their first jobs together. Elena was so excited to be part of Miss Mystic Falls as her and her mom shopped for the perfect dress and she didn't want Stefan to see it until the Founders Day Gala. Unfortunately, a week before the Gala Elena's parents were killed in a car crash on their way to pick Elena up from the Salvatore house. She never got to say goodbye and that night Elena's life shattered before her.

"Elena when you're parents died you were so devastated and Stefan was your rock" Caroline told her. "Stefan help get your mind off losing your parents by helping with the dance. You didn't want to go to the Gala but Stefan still got you all dress up and he wore a suit and the two of you danced under the stars in the backyard" Caroline told her.

Elena smiled as she thought about that night and how nervous Stefan was as he was never a fan of dancing but he did for her. That week had been the longest week of her life but he was there for her to hold her up.

"You see you two have been through so much, this can't be the end of your story" Caroline said sadly as she pushed the two closer together. "You have an epic love story and you are perfect for each other."

"Look Caroline we aren't denying that we loved each other and have been through a lot" Elena said trying to get through to her friend who seemed so adamant in getting them back together. "But things have changed" she explained but as soon as she said those words Caroline was rolling her eyes and ready to go back on the attack.

"Nothing has changed!" Caroline cried.

"YES it has!" Elena yelled as she was now tired of Caroline's rant. "We have had good times yes, but over time we've changed and a lot of it started with when my parents died. It's not Stefan's fault and it's not mine, things just changed over time and we drifted apart. We were together but at the same time we weren't. All those great memories you mentioned most of them happened before my parents died, before I felt like everything in my life had change, including my relationships with all of you. I'm not blaming anybody but after my parents died, people changed and I changed including my relationship with Stefan. After they died Stefan was there for me and over time I didn't want to lose him because he was apart of my past that involved my parents but that isn't fair to him. He is my best friend and I'm afraid that if we continue the way we are headed I will lose that part of him too" Elena cried as tears were streaming down her face now. "I'm sorry Stefan, I'm so sorry I'm ruining everything" she cried as she was about to collapse but Stefan reached out and wrapped his arms around her.

"You haven't lost me and you won't," he promised her and he then look up at Caroline as if to silently telling her that she had done enough.

* * *

As the gang slowly came back inside Caroline was still upset that she wasn't able to get Stefan and Elena back together but whether they saw it not or not they belonged together and by the end of this trip they would be back together. Bonnie walked into the cabin with her arm wrapped around Elena and doing her best to let her know everything was going to be okay. Stefan walked in last with his head down and remained quiet as he walked over to the couch and took a seat in silence.

"Oh good your back" Damon said as he was pulling a backpack along with Kol.

"Run out of alcohol, heading out to find more?" Bonnie asked as her and Elena took a seat at the table with Jenna who was watching them closely wondering what was wrong with Elena.

"HAHA, no some of us are trying to get us out of here not just deal with teenage drama" Damon told her. "But yes we are out of alcohol."

"Figures" Caroline said with a huff, as she was still annoyed about Stefan and Elena.

"When are we getting out of here?" Rebekah whined, "This place smells and I'm bored."

"You're not my problem, because I'm leaving" Damon stated.

"As am I" Kol said with a smile, "So dear sister try not to piss too many people off that that toss you in the river down the road" he told her with a smirk. Rebekah just rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked.

"We're just gonna see what is up ahead, hopefully find that small town on the map" Kol stated as he waved the map up in the air.

"Just the two of you?" Stefan asked not sure that was such a great idea. "From the beginning you didn't want us to come what makes you think we trust you to come back?"

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me brother" Damon snapped, "For that maybe I will leave you behind" Damon scoffed.

"I'll go" came Elena's voice even before she even realized what she was saying.

"No I don't think so," Damon said with a laugh.

"Why not?" Elena snapped back as she got up.

"Because I don't want to have to listen to you complaining!" Damon told her.

"Trust me you will do enough complaining for the both of us" Elena called back. "Bonnie and I will go with you, it'll be better then to just send the two of you out there alone" Elena told him.

"Yeah don't you remember your survival tips from boy scouts?" Bonnie asked.

"No because we were kicked out of boy scouts" Kol stated.

"And that's another reason we should come, somebody has to keep you guys alive" Elena teased.

Damon rolled his eyes while he moved to pick up two other backpacks and passed them to the girls while eyeing them both closely. "Lets get a few things straight, your carry your own bag, if you get tired we aren't carrying you" Damon warned them.

Elena shook her head at his arrogance as she pulled the backpack onto her back at the same time Bonnie did. "And Vice Versa" she snapped back with a smile. To be honest there as another reason Elena decided to go and it had to do with the two people staying behind. After this mornings argument with Caroline she knew that even though Caroline had stopped for now, she was bound to try again soon so figured that by heading out for at least a couple hours would give her some much needed space from both Stefan and Caroline. Even if that meant she was stuck spending time with Damon and his snarky comments.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Leaving the others to deal with each other in the cabin Damon, Kol, Bonnie and Elena all headed out in search of a near by town that could help them out with their popped tire. With their backpacks on, Damon and Kol lead the way while the girls followed not far behind as they climbed up a few hills in the woods. It was pretty warm out so they were thankful for the shade the trees offered but it was only going to get hotter as the day went on. Squinting her eyes and letting out a tired breath, Elena reached for her water bottle that was clipped to her backpack. Twisting the top she took a sip on the refreshing water as she continued on up the hill behind Damon and Kol.

"How much further is this town do you think?" an out of breath Bonnie asked as she got some help from Elena up a steep part of the hill and finally got to the top.

"Hopefully no more then five hours" Damon told her as he turned and looked at the girls, and Bonnie especially was getting tired already. Shaking his head he powered on as they followed behind. "You know for someone who was lecturing us on only bringing the essential to survive, why did you bring a text book?" he asked her.

"Just in case we take a break," Bonnie told him as Elena passed Bonnie her water bottle so that she could have a sip. "Oh thank you," she whispered thankfully.

"We aren't taking breaks sweetheart," Kol said with a smile. "Better use those muscles," he added with a laugh.

Elena shook her head as the guys laughed as if her and Bonnie wouldn't be able to handle the long walk. "I'd wipe that smirk off your face because we can keep up" Elena told them angrily.

"Oh and here comes out the competitive Elena" Damon laughed. "Girl can't even handle losing a game of flag football," Damon said to Kol as if Elena wasn't walking pretty much beside him to hear his jab.

"No it's your cheating I can't stand" Elena snapped back.

"I don't cheat, if anything I go easy on you" Damon told her when he turned to look at her.

"I highly doubt that" Elena mumbled, "You're nothing but a ball hogger" she told him.

"Only because I get stuck with your boyfriend on my team" Damon snapped back with a smirk before turning and continuing to walk ahead of them.

Hearing Damon mention Stefan as her boyfriend was a bit of a pain in her chest because the truth was he wasn't her boyfriend any more and it reminded her that there was one more person she would have to inform of the break up not that Damon would really care either way.

With a sigh and a quick glance at Bonnie who was giving her a sad look, Elena thought about the break up. Biting her bottom lip Elena powered on keeping up with the guys and hoped that no other mention of her relationship with Stefan would come up.

Letting out an annoyed huff as if to let everyone left in the cabin, know that she was bored Rebekah took a seat on the sofa with a pout. Biting her lip she looked around as Stefan was sitting at the kitchen table in deep thought and amusing himself by spinning his phone on the flat surface. Jenna was sitting by the window looking out in the direction that Elena and the others had headed and she too seemed to be in deep thought. Alaric walked towards Jenna and took a seat next to her and they both stared out the window as if wondering when they others would be coming back.

"How long do you think Damon and Elena will be able to tolerate each other before they start to tear each other apart?" Ric asked Jenna with a laugh. He had been very surprised that Elena had volunteered to go with Damon and Kol. He figured something pretty big must be going on with Elena and Stefan that she would actually volunteer to go out on some unknown search for a town near by. "Do you know what's going on with her and Stefan?" Ric asked Jenna knowing that their rocky relationship probably played a part in her deciding to go.

"I honestly have no idea," Jenna said quietly as she looked over at Stefan, as he didn't seem happy at all. In fact to Jenna he looked a little heart broken and she wondered where the two of them stood when Elena had left. When Elena had decided to go, Jenna wasn't sure why she had left with Damon and the others but Jenna got the feeling that Elena wanted to get away either for space or to actually get away from Stefan and possibly Caroline who seemed just as depressed as Stefan as she came back into the room.

"Any word or sign of them?" Caroline asked as she anxiously paced the room.

"I wish, because I should be on a beach now" Rebekah complained, "Not stuck in this shack."

"We get it Rebekah, this isn't how we planned our spring break either" Jenna said as she rolled her eyes. Listening to Rebekah's constant complaining was really getting tiring. She was a spoiled brat who saw herself so much better then everyone else. Again and again Jenna wondered why exactly she even came considering that she wasn't friends with any of them. Sure Kol was her brother and she was sleeping with she Damon but even he had made it pretty clear he didn't want her here. Shaking her head and looking back out the window Jenna thought about how her plans were to get over Logan and have fun and as of now she hadn't done either of that. "You know the one good thing about this place is that there is no cell service so I can't give in and call Logan."

"Thank God for that" Alaric said with a smile. "You can do so much better then that jerk" he told her.

"Thanks" Jenna said with a smile and even though she didn't really believe it she was happy Alaric saw that. With a sigh she leaned into hug Alaric and then the two remained in the embrace as they thought about how much they had hoped that this trip would of turned out differently, but at least they would be together.

* * *

"This is insane, we have seen nothing but trees for hours" Bonnie stated as they continued their walk. "Are you even sure we are headed in the right direction?" Bonnie asked not having much faith in her tour guides.

"How should I know I was kicked out of boy scouts" Kol stated and watched as the fear grew on Bonnie's face.

"What?" she said in a horrified voice as if Kol was leading them towards their unfortunate death. Damon couldn't help but laugh along with Kol as the two continued on with the girls following behind.

"We are going to die" Bonnie stated.

"Relax Bonnie, he is just messing with you" Elena told her before she took a drink from her water bottle.

"I'm not even sure I'm holding the map the right way," Kol added just to throw some more fear into Bonnie.

"All right buddy, now your starting to get me worried" Damon chuckled as he grabbed the map from his friend. "So where exactly are we?"

Kol bit his lip and shrugged his shoulders; "Look I wasn't lying completely when I said I wasn't sure where we were" Kol said and watched, as Damon was becoming a little annoyed. "Its either straight left or straight right" he said and this revelation did not sit well with Damon.

"Unbelievable" Damon said and rolled his eyes.

"Oh god we really are going to die! And frankly your two are not the first people on my list of who I want to spend my final moments with!" Bonnie cried.

"Oh calm down, read your textbook sweetheart" Kol told her as the girls leaned against a tree deciding to use the time to catch their breath as the guys figured out their next move.

"Look why don't we split up two go one way and two got the other, maybe walk for a couple hours and then turn back," Damon suggested. "We will then meet back up at the cabin either by walking back or by a ride if we find the town" he added and watched as the girls thought over the plan.

"You want to split up?" Elena said, as she wasn't so sure abut the idea.

"Well I'm going with the map!" Bonnie replied quickly as she snatched the map out a Kol's useless hands.

"Hey!" Kol complained as he then started chasing her after the map as if they were children.

"Fine you two go right" Damon told them and then turned to look at his partner and cringed, "guess you're with me" Damon said with a forced smile that Elena thought was a horrible attempt.

"Lucky me" she replied as she rolled her eyes when picking up her backpack. She gave Bonnie a quick hug; who promised Elena in a whisper that if she ended up killing Damon on the walk, she would be her alibi. Shaking her head and letting out a giggle Elena and Damon reluctantly headed in the same direction while Kol and Bonnie headed in the other.

The two walked in silence through the woods for quite some time both focused on looking around for any sign of the small town they were looking for. It wasn't too often that Damon and Elena were alone together; in fact it had probably been years. Walking behind Damon, Elena did her best to keep up as well as duck or dodge out of the way of bush branches that Damon pushed out of his way but then whipped back and almost hit her. At first she didn't think much of it but it soon got to the point she was sure she could see a bit of a smirk on his face as if he was doing it on purpose. "You can be really immature Damon," she growled at him.

"Hey I'm just walking here," he told her but he couldn't hide the smirk on his face.

As another one came back to hit her, Elena let out a grunt and quickly moved to jump in front of him so that he was now behind her. "Seriously you can be such a child," she told him.

"Your one to talk" he said with a laugh as Elena turned and glared at him. "You're little miss judgy about everything," he explained.

"Well it's because you're an ass!" Elena told him as she continued to wonder through the woods with Damon following behind her.

"No, I just refuse to live up to your high expectations. Miss Perfect Elena likes to have everyone wrapped around her little finger and I refused to be your pathetic puppy dog like everyone else," he told her.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Elena we grew up together, you were the only girl and you got everything your way. Anything we ever did. If poor little Elena didn't want to do it or play some game we didn't" Damon told her a little annoyed as he thought back to their childhood. Stefan was the good son, the one who did what ever he could to please their father, Elena was the sole girl which both the Gilberts and Salvatore's doted on. Even Damon's nanny preferred taking care of Elena then him. Stefan and Elena were the favorites and this left Damon and Jeremy to fight for any kind of attention as kids.

"So that's why you're an ass? Because you didn't get attention?" she asked as they wonder through the forest and came across a river. As they walked along the edge of the hill, Elena looked down below as the water was running in the other direction at a pretty slow pace.

"I just don't take anyone's crap, including yours!" Damon snapped back at her.

"You make it sound like I'm some spoiled brat like Rebekah" Elena called back.

"Well she's not on my back to be more like Stefan!" Damon shot back in frustration. "Unlike your boyfriend I won't bow down and do what ever you want to do. I don't care if you get mad at me I'll do what I want and you just have to deal with it like a big girl" he told her. "You got my brother whipped and I'm sorry to tell you I'm not."

"No you're just selfish!" Elena yelled back as she stepped over a few tree roots so she wouldn't trip.

"This from the girl who gives the silent treatment when she can't get her way! You're controlling"

Elena gave a laugh and shook her head, "Oh I'm controlling, Damon you are the most controlling person I know, if you don't get your way you lash out and…" as she spun around quickly to look at him face to face as she yelled at him her sudden stop caught Damon off guard and he ran right into. She wasn't expecting him to run into her so as he collided with her, she lost her balance.

Both their eyes went wide as they both could see what was about to happen as Elena was knocked over and started to stumble down the hill. Damon tried to reach out for her but wasn't able to grab her in time and she fell, rolling down the hill and towards the river. She let out screams as she rolled down the hill and landed in the water after going through a bush and then made a big splash.

"ELENA!" Damon called out as he carefully but quickly ran down the hill and towards the river.

She was drenched as she came up to the surface and took a gasp of air before letting out a painful cry. Damon quickly threw his backpack to the side of the river so that it wouldn't get wet and ran over to Elena. Seeing her struggling to keep a float he immediately tried to help her out but she cried in pain again.

"My foot is stuck, AHHH," she cried as it was wedged in between the rocks and broken tree branches.

"Okay hang on" Damon told her as he help her take off the heavy backpack she still had on so she wasn't being weighed down by it. Tossing it to the side he then wrapped one arm around her and then took her hand with the other and reached for a tree branch above their head for her to hold on to. Hold this," he instructed and as she let out whimpers of pain but she did as he said. "Okay, hold on tight" he said as he released his grasp around her and swam so that he was in front of her. Luckily for them the current wasn't strong so he didn't' have to struggle to stay where he as but the water was quite deep. "What ever you do don't let go of the tree branch," he repeated.

"Okay" Elena answered in a whimper as she held on tightly.

With a nod Damon held his breath and went under the water. Elena could feel his hands moving down her leg as he was trying to find her foot wedged between rocks. Staying above the water Elena tried not to think about the pain as she waited for Damon to come back to the surface. After a minute of him trying to set her free he let go and was coming back to the surface. "Wow you really have it stuck in there," he told her as Elena held on to the branch above her to stay a float. "You okay?"

"Yeah" she said but it was obvious she didn't truly mean it.

"Okay hang on," he told her again before disappearing under the water again to try and set her free. She could feel him trying to move the rocks around under the water and every so often she would cry out in pain because her foot was still stuck. With some of the rocks cleared away Damon came back up to the surface again. He immediately moved closer to Elena, wrapping his arms around her and he told her to let go of the branch so that her arms could rest.

"Its not coming out" Elena told him as she was now very worried about not being able to break free.

"Don't worry I got it" he told her as Elena's arms were wrapped around his neck so that they could rest for a moment. "Okay lets try it again," he said softly and then reached up for the branch and letting Elena get a good grip before he released her and went back under the water. She did best to hold off on crying out in pain as Damon started to wiggle her foot free. After a few tries her finally got it and Elena let out a sigh of relief as Damon was coming back up to the surface.

She let go of the tree branch above her head and her arms immediately went around Damon as his one was around her waist and then the other tucked under her legs so he could lift her out of the water. Walking out of the river he set her down on a large bolder while he checked out her foot to see the damage.

"Thank you" Elena said and was probably thinking this was one of the few times she had ever said that to him.

"Well it's not like I could leave my brother's girlfriend to drown" Damon said as he shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal.

Elena bit her lip as she sat on the bolder while Damon was inspecting her injury. They were both soaking wet letting out a hissing sound of pain, Elena looked down at her foot, Damon's hands were massaging her ankle since he wasn't sure about taking her shoe off, especially since they may not get it back on. "Stefan and I broke up" she told him sadly and watched out of the corner of her eye as Damon's head whipped up in shock to stare at her. It took Elena a moment to pull her gaze away from her foot and look up at Damon with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

Elena let out a scoff as she wiped the water droplets way from her face, "Look you don't have to pretend you aren't happy by this." She told him.

"No, I mean it, we may have our fights but you seem to make my brother happy and he you" Damon told her and for the first time Damon and Elena shared a look of understanding.

They stared at each other for who knew how long as if they were seeing each other in a whole different light. Damon was the first to break their gaze and went back into helping mode. "Can you walk?" he asked her and watched, as Elena still seemed in pain. Taking in her hands in his he tried to help her up but as soon as she put pressure on her foot she quickly felt pain and fell back down.

"No it hurts," she told him as she groaned in pain. Favoring her foot she leaned back and used her free hand that wasn't holding on to Damon to find the bolder and sat back down by the river.

Damon bit his lip as he looked up the hill and knew that traveling either way was going to take forever especially with Elena not being able to walk. Rinsing the water out of his black t-shirt and shaking his head to get the water droplets out of his hair, he moved over to Elena's drenched backpack to see what could be saved and what was ruined. There were blankets but they were soaked, couple breakfast bar that were fine, rope, a first aid kit that wasn't much use for a twisted ankle, a flashlight that maybe would be okay if it dried and a few other materials that would be no use to them soaked.

"How far do we have to go?" Elena asked as she was massaging her ankle.

"A couple hours with both of us fit and healthy, but if you can't walk we aren't going to make it anywhere before dark. He told her and then the picked up his own backpack to pull out his phone to see if there was cell service. Of course that would have been too easy so they were stranded for the most part. "I say we keep going then maybe stop somewhere for the night and then continue on. We should be close anyway," Damon, told her as he transferred a lot of the materials from Elena's bag into his. "Girl scout Bonnie, packed matches so we should be able to stay warm and the blankets in my bag are still dry." He told her as he zipped up the bag and threw it onto his back.

"You know if I didn't know better, I would of thought you did this all on purpose so that I would have to carry you" Damon teased as he came back over to Elena to help her up. With her hands going around his neck, he picked her up, one arm around the small of her back and the other under neither her legs.

"Trust me, having to be dependent on you is a new low for me" Elena shot back and Damon couldn't help but laugh.

"I won't tell you needed my help, if you don't tell I help you" he offered.

"Deal" she responded as he was lifted up into his arms and he started to carefully make their way back up the hill. They had about thirty more minutes of light left in the day and figure to keep on going and hoped they would come across the town tomorrow.

Damon walked as far as he could, although Elena weighed practically nothing it was the backpack on his back that was the killer. Having to ditch Elena's since it was drenched his was now almost twice as heavy. He had taken a break or two for about five minutes before picking Elena back up and continuing on. As the sun started to set it was getting darker and colder. Their clothes were still wet from the detour in the river so would need to build a fire to keep warm before it got too dark to see.

Finding a small clearing in the woods Damon announced that this was their luxury hotel for the night. Setting Elena down on the ground he dropped the backpack and let out a sigh of relief, as his back was thankful to lose the extra weight. "Remind me next time that we are flying to Florida" Damon told her as he stretched.

"I'm not sure there will be a next time for me" Elena said sadly because after she returned from spring break that meant no more trips with the Salvatores for a while due to the awkwardness between her and Stefan and then fact her and Damon have never been that close.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad" Damon teased.

"I mean with me and Stefan" Elena clarified.

"Well traveling as a couple sucks anyway, it's a lot more fun to go single and no strings attached" Damon told her as he was unzipping the backpack and started pulling out the warm and dry blankets.

"Not exactly my thing" Elena replied as she bit her lip while Damon tossed her over the blankets to where she sat.

"Suit your self but it is a hell of a lot more fun" he said with a smile.

"You and I have a different point of view of fun," Elena told him as she set the blankets down beside her and watched as Damon walked around gathering twigs, tree branches for the fire.

"You need to take your clothes off," Damon said suddenly and Elena looked up at him a little taken back and thought maybe she had hear him wrong. There was no way that Damon could think that she had any intention of sleeping with him; no matter how far he carried her.

"Excuse me?" she said with wide eyes.

Damon looked at her and rolled his eyes, "Get your mind out of the gutter Gilbert, your clothes are wet and they need to dry." He saw Elena seem to hesitate about the idea of taking her clothes off with him around but he just rolled his eyes. "Look I promise I won't look" Damon told her and turned his back to light the fire while Elena wrapped her blankets around herself and removed her shirt, shoes, and pants. With only her undergarments on Elena wrapped the blanket around herself and then knelt down on her knees so that she could lie her clothes out by the fire Damon had made so that they would dry.

With the fire burning high, Damon sat back against a tree still wearing his wet clothes. As Elena huddled between to blankets, one under her and covering the ground and the other over top of her and snuggled around her body she lay down and looked at the glowing light of the fire. She then looked over at Damon as he sat with his knees pulled towards his chest and his head back against the tree trunk while his eyes were shut and his lips trembled from the cold. With it being spring it still got cold at night and as Elena lay there watching him while she was trying to warm herself up she new that Damon was going to freeze before morning if he stayed like that. "Damon…" she said in a soft voice.

"I'm fine," he told her as if he was reading her mind and knew just what she was going to say.

"Don't we have anymore blankets?" she asked him and Damon shook his head. Cursing herself for falling into the river with her backpack she knew that they were both wet and useless. As she lay her head back down she tried to close her eyes and get some sleep but the sound of Damon shivering a couple feet away was becoming too much. "Damon this is insane you are going to get sick," she told him as she sat up to make room for him under the blankets.

"I said I'm fine" he replied but his tone of voice was not at all convincing.

"Don't be an idiot Damon, get over here before I change my mind," She told him and watched as Damon opened his eyes and looked at her for the first time.

He seemed to hesitate but Elena stared him down not about to take no for an answer. He was the healthy and fit one and if he got sick they were both screwed tomorrow. Nodding his head Damon pulled off his wet shirt and jeans and set them closer to the fire. His body was shaking and cold as ice as he slipped in between the blankets with her in only boxers. Elena moved closer to him under the blanket to help warm him up and Damon pulled the blanket tightly around them and wrapped his arms around her so that their body heat would keep them warm. "You tell anyone about this I will kill you" Elena said against his chest. Damon let out a chuckle and Elena felt the vibration against her cheek that was pressed to his chest.

"No one would believe me anyway" Damon responded as he pulled her in tighter as his nose buried in her hair.

* * *

Checking her watch Caroline was standing at the front door of the cabin looking out into the dark night and waiting for the others to return. After a late night last night Jenna was already asleep on the couch and Ric was asleep in his sleeping bag by the fireplace. "They should be back by now," Caroline said with a sigh as she turned to Stefan who was still sitting at the kitchen table.

"I'm sure they will be back soon," Stefan told her.

"I still don't understand why Elena had to go" Caroline said with a huff as she moved to take a seat at the table with Stefan. "She should be here working things out with you."

Stefan shook his head as he licked his lips before looking at Caroline, "She doesn't want to work things out" he explained and he watched as Caroline didn't like that answer he was giving her.

"She's just being stubborn and she will come to her senses" Caroline explained, as she was completely positive about it. "Once we get out of here and can get to West Palm Beach things will get better for you I know it."

"I'm not sure about that, and I don't want to fight for something I'm not sure I want anymore" Stefan stated and he saw the shock and hurt in Caroline's eyes. She was so determined to get him and Elena back together and not now only did she have to convince Elena, but Stefan as well.

Caroline's jaw was opened and she was speechless for a moment as it sunk in what Stefan had told her. She was about to respond when they both heard noises coming from the front door. Caroline turned in her chair and stared at the door as the doorknob turned and then a smiling Kol and Bonnie wondered in.

"Hey" Caroline said as she got up to greet her friend. "What took you guys so long?"

"Oh we got off course for a moment and then this jerk was telling ghost stories to freak me out!" Bonnie said with a giggle. As they walked back after not finding anything it was getting dark and every little noise in the distance made Bonnie jump and Kol found that hilarious and as they walked back he was telling her scary stories while she would walk a little closer to him for protection.

"Where are Elena and Damon?" Caroline asked as she noticed that they weren't coming in the door after Kol and Bonnie.

Bonnie looked a little confused as she looked around the cabin and realized that Elena and Damon hadn't returned. "Oh, I thought they would be back by now. We had to spilt up when he didn't know which way the town was." Bonnie told her.

"What's going on?" came Jenna's voice as she sat up on the couch after she was woken up from all the commotionn. When she saw Bonnie and Kol standing there she looked around the room but didn't see Elena anywhere. "Where's Elena?"

"Her and Damon aren't back yet," Stefan told her as they all looked out into the woods.

"So your telling me that Damon and Elena, the two who can't stand each other are out there alone somewhere?" Jenna asked as she made her way to the window along with Caroline and Stefan and looked out in the direction of where they hoped Elena and Damon would appear.

"They are going to kill each other," Jenna told them as they all waited in hope to see the two show up soon.

* * *

In the middle of the woods with a fire blazing giving off a golden glow, it kept the two warm, as they had no choice but to spend the night in the woods. The blanket was wrapped around them as they lay by the fire and their wet clothes were near by so that they would hopefully be dry by morning.

Elena's legs moved within the blanket and were tangled with Damon's legs while he lay on his back and holding her close. Neither was sure how it happened and in fact they weren't really aware of it at first but one of them had mad the first move and kissed the other. The kiss was like one neither of them had experiences before as it was passionate but at the same time hungry for more. Elena had moved from her spot beside him and way now lying on top of Damon in only her undergarments, never breaking from the kiss while her hands caressed his chest and moaned with pleasure.

One of Damon's hands had his fingers moving within her hair and up and down Elena's neck. His other hand was moving up and down her thigh as her long and slim leg moved up and down his leg. It was a kiss that was so unexpected for either of them but it was one that neither was ready to break from yet as the night went on.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The sound of the birds chirping and the rustling of the trees surrounded them and slowly woke Elena from her slumber. As her eyes started to slowly flutter open she found it odd that her pillow wasn't much of a pillow. Bringing a hand up to rub her eyes she set her hand down on the naked chest she had been sleeping on. After a moment of wondering she remembered the night before and how her and Damon had to sleep in the woods. Softly lifting her head, where her hair was draped over his chest she looked up at him. Lifting her head she then felt Damon start to stir beneath her and then as his eyes slowly opened. As his eyes adjusted to the light Damon looked down at Elena as she still lay on his chest and smiled. "Morning" he told her with a smile as his hand moved up the smooth skin of her back.

Elena found herself smiling as she thought about the night before. She still wasn't sure how it happened but when their lips finally met it was like nothing she had ever experienced. She couldn't get enough and from what she could tell either could Damon. Now here they lay still covered in only their undergarments they weren't experiencing the awkward morning after that would usually follow a steaming hot make out session like that. Her fingers gently moved across Damon's chest as she lay her head back down on his chest. "So is this the morning after part where you kick me out?" Elena asked in a teasing voice knowing Damon's usual sleeping buddies were kicked out as soon as possible.

Damon let out a chuckle, and his fingers combed through her hair as she still laid her head on his chest. Their legs were still tangled under the blankets and it seemed so crazy how well they fit together. "I really should" Damon said softly in his husky morning voice, "But with a twisted ankle I'll give you a few more minutes" he teased. "Yet I must say you are a bad influence on me," he told her and after that Elena lifted her head and gave him a curious look as to why. "Before you I had a reputation that any girl I slept with I had sex with. You are a bad influence on me," he told her.

Elena couldn't help but laugh as she slowly leaded forward and pressed her lips against his. Sure enough just like the night before the kiss sent an unbelievable feeling through her body. Damon immediately responded to the kiss and his tongue slipped into her mouth to find hers. Letting out a moan Elena's body moved so that she was lying fully on top of Damon as her fingers moved from his chest to his neck and then through his jet-black hair.

Slowly rolling them on to their sides, the blanket fell away but neither of them seem to notice or care. Damon's one hand moved up and down her body while his other arm was wrapped around her and keeping her close. They only broke from the kiss to change position of their heads and Elena's nose moved from one side of his to the other as her hands cupped his face. They both knew they needed to get up and get going because the others would surely be worried and they still needed to find the town but figure a few more minutes of this wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"Okay I'm really starting to worry" Jenna said as she paced back and forth in the kitchen biting her nails. Alaric was doing his best to calm his best friend down but she wouldn't listen to him. Her niece, whom she was given the trust of her sister and brother in-law when they died to protect and take care of was now missing. "They should be back by now" she called out after pushing Ric's arms away from her. She didn't need him to try and calm her down; she needed to find her niece and Damon.

"Maybe they just camped out not wanting to get lost in the dark," Stefan suggested but deep down he too was very worried about his brother and Elena.

"But why did Bonnie and Kol make it back and not them?" Caroline asked as she pointed over towards Bonnie and Kol sitting on the sofa together as they too looked very worried. In fact they all looked worried, all except Rebekah who just looked pissed off that they were all just standing around instead of trying find their way out of this mess. "What if they were eaten by a mountain lion or a bear? God what if there an axe murdering out there and we are next!" Caroline said in horror.

Stefan immediately nudged Caroline to get her to stop helping and making things worse because Jenna was already a wrack and she didn't need Caroline's dark imagination adding to her stress. Jenna's pacing was just getting worse as her eyes seemed to be shifting back and forth thinking of all the possibilities of what could of happen to them out there. Thanks to Caroline she was now having flash backs to old Criminal Minds episodes.

"Okay Jenna I'm sure it's not that bad," Alaric told her calmly as he forced her to stop pacing and have a seat at the kitchen table. He glared at Caroline for a moment before turning his focus back to Jenna and wrapping his arms on her while she broke into tears. "We will going out and find them," he explained as he knelt down in front of her as she sat on the chair. As she made eye contact with him, Alaric did what he could to calm her down and wipe away her tears. "Bonnie and Kol know where they broke off with Elena and Damon so we can retrace their steps and who knows we could run into them on their way back.

"Yeah, plus seeing as we didn't see the town there is a good chance they did and are working on getting us all a ride there" Bonnie informed her.

"Well Bonnie knows the way," Kol said with a chuckle as his arm was resting on the back of the couch where him and Bonnie were sitting. Bonnie let out a giggle as she turned to look at Kol, as he shrugged his shoulders not afraid to admit it. As Kol and Bonnie seemed to be smiting with each other it didn't go unnoticed by Caroline.

"Okay, so its set we'll go look for them" Alaric told her and got Jenna to nod in agreement. Giving her a quick smile he then got up and turned to look at the others. Caroline and Stefan were standing at the other end of the table, Kol and Bonnie were on the sofa and Rebekah was the only one not so worried as she got a water bottle out of the cooler. Biting his bottom lip Alaric walked over to Stefan and Caroline and gently pulled Caroline off to the side. "I want you to stay here with Jenna, but try to keep your thoughts to yourself and not feed her already panicked imagination." Caroline just nodded her head knowing it was best to leave her big mouth shut for a while. "Alright everyone else lets go" Alaric called out.

"Do I really have to? I'm not exactly dressed for the hiking stuff," Rebekah told them.

"Yeah fine you stay here," Alaric told her as he rolled his eyes and got ready to head out with the others. "We go out for three hours and then we come back and regroup." As everybody nodded and headed out, a nervous wrack Jenna stood at the window watching them leave as she was biting her nails hoping that everyone would come back safe and sound.

* * *

"I think we're going the wrong way," Elena chirped up as Damon was carrying her hopefully heading towards the town. Once the two had forced themselves to get a move on it and find the town in an hour or so. They knew the others would be worried so it was best they find the town as soon as possible so that they could meet back up with them. Luckily after a night of their wet clothes lying around the fire they were dry and ready for the hike ahead.

The two found a big change in their relationship after what had happened the other night and oddly enough things weren't awkward. They changed in silence into their clothes but shared a few glances and smirks in between. Once they were all set Damon pulled the backpack onto his back then moved to pick up an injured Elena.

As great and hot as there morning seemed to have started out, they wouldn't be Damon and Elena if they continued to get along. With Damon carrying her around he pretty much called the shots on which way to go and that didn't really sit well with Elena. "I really think we should have turned the other way," Elena repeated when Damon seemed to just ignore her.

"I know what I'm doing" Damon finally told her as he rolled his eyes at her. He held her in his arms with one arm around her back and the other under her legs while her arms were hanging on around his neck.

"We have been walking this way for about an hour, we should try another way" she tried again.

"How about this when you can walk you can pick the way and then never get out of here" he told her with a smirk as he came to halt and motioned Elena to look at her twisted ankle that made it clear she wasn't getting her way today.

"And what makes you think I would get lost, for all you know my way could of lead us to the town" Elena asked while Damon was carefully stepping over a log still heading in the direction he was sure was the right way.

"Because I said it is" he told her with a smirk that just made Elena roll her eyes at his cocky know it all tone. This was the Damon she grew up with, the one that had to be right and everyone else was just idiots according to him for going against him. It always got on her nerves and right now she didn't have a choice but to go along with him unless she was planning to hop on one foot.

"You seriously have an annoying need to be right," Elena told him.

"It's not a need, its usually the case" he responded in a cocky voice, "It would save you a lot of time and not to mention save my ears for having to listen to your insane amount of whining when I give you the I told you so talk."

"You can be such an ass!" Elena snapped.

"Hey don't yell at your chauffer!" he snapped back as he came to a halt as if he was planning to drop her and leave her to try and manage on her own.

"Chauffer? Please you're a dictator, my way or the highway kind of guy. A chauffer would be taking me the way I want to go" Elena told him as she was now getting pretty pissed off at him.

"Suit yourself, but as you head back that way, I'm going to the town just over there" Damon stated as he nodded his head towards the road they had come across and building in the distance. "Still want to go you're way sweetheart?" he said in a snarky, haha I'm right tone knowing it would drive her nuts.

"Shut up, I'm not your sweetheart" Elena said as she refused to look at him because she already knew she was in for a lot of gloating from him as they continued down the road towards the little town they had been looking for.

As they arrived into the little town the two of them looked around, as it seemed to be a one street town and not much else. The village had a bit of a western feel to it as the type of architect that the buildings had, with wood frames and the second floor having long balconies with white posts and railings. It actually looked like a place you could fill an old western movie with a number of local shops on the lower levels. The streets were empty with just a few cars parked on the side of the road.

"This is kinda creepy" Elena said in a bit of a whisper as her head rested on Damon's shoulder as he continued on walked.

"No kidding," he replied as he figured that being the weekend pretty much everything was closed so everything seem deserted and abandoned. As they got to about the middle of the village they saw a sign that said INN.

"Oh thank god! Warm beds" she said happily as Damon made his way over to the old rustic Inn. While Damon was holding Elena, she reached forward to open the green wooden door to the Inn that had a big window on the top half but a red-checkered curtain covering so they couldn't see inside until Elena opened the door. As the door opened a bell above them alerted the staff that someone was entering the building. Much to their surprise when they walked in it wasn't your typical Inn with a front desk. Instead the two wondered into a bar. "Please tell me this Inn wasn't renovated into a bar," Damon mumbled quietly as he stepped further into the bar.

Their was an older gentleman sitting in the far corner of the bar reading a paper and he looked up at the two newcomers with a look of distaste. It seemed that he wasn't fond of tourist much like the lady who was behind the counter of the bar. "Can I help you?" she asked sounding a bit annoyed that the Damon had walked in carrying Elena and hadn't said or done anything.

"I'm looking for the hotel" Damon asked as he moved to set Elena down in an nearby chair then he moved towards the lady in her mid-forties who seemed both exhausted and miserable.

"Your looking at it" She told him.

"Where is the front desk?" he asked her since it seemed she wasn't just going to point it out for him.

Rolling her eyes the lady reached under the counter and pulled out a binder and slammed it down on the counter. As she gave Damon a look she opened it up and then pointed to the binder. "This would be the front desk," she told him as if it should have been obvious from the start.

"Yeah I totally got that when I came in" Damon scoffed at her, as they seemed to stare each other down.

"What do you need?" she asked him with a sigh.

"First where the hell are we?" Damon asked her and the lady gave him a look of confusion. She then looked over at Elena as she was massaging her foot and wincing in a bit of pain.

"What happened to her?" she asked as she nodded to Elena.

Damon wasn't really in the mood to stand here and small talk to her so rolled his eyes and gave her an annoyed look. "She twisted her ankle, she is gonna live but I need to know what this freak town is called."

"Chesterfield, population 400 and if your looking for the tourist sights you saw them all on your way in here" she replied just as nasty as he did. "Now do you need a room or not?"

"Yeah I need three or four" Damon said as he reached into his wallet and pulled out some cash.

"Well which one is it three or four?"

"I'll take four" Damon snapped back.

"We only have three"

"THEN I WILL TAKE THREE!" Damon shot back at her.

Elena was sitting there at the table watching the interaction between the two and figure it was only a matter of time before one of them lunged at the other. While she was forced to just sit there and wait she glanced around the bar/hotel as the gentleman in the corner didn't seem to like all the noise and was letting out annoyed grunts.

"They aren't ready yet, my daughter will need to clean them. VICKIE!" she told him and then screamed out her daughter name. Within seconds a young possibly 19-year-old girl came bouncing out wearing a matching annoyed look on her face. "You gotta clean rooms 1 through 3" she told her.

"Fine after my smoke" she replied and then as she was about to leave her eyes settled on Damon and it was obviously she liked what she saw. "Well hi there" she said with a smile as she started to twist her hair.

"VICKIE!" her mother, yelled and then the girl rolled her eyes and then disappeared down the narrow hallway in the back. As the lady behind the counter moved to put the front desk registration book away back under the counter, she was chewing on her gum loudly.

Damon could tell that she wasn't really in the mood to deal with them but he still needed to get back to the others and he really didn't want to walk especially since it would mean Elena would be left alone for who knew how long here. "Listen our car broke down a little ways down the road, is there anyway I can rent a car?"

"Nope, its Saturday, everything is closed until Monday sweetheart" She told him without even looking up at him and in a tone as if he should of known that.

With a sigh and frustration, Damon waltzed over to stand by Elena for a moment and he looked as if he was regretting this already. "I honestly think it might be safer to sleep outside again," he mumbled to her as he took a seat at the table with her.

"We have to get back to the others," Elena told him.

Damon gave a nod as he pulled out his map and was looking for Chesterfield. With his index finger moving across the map, Elena watched closely and found herself sneaking a few glances at Damon. Her eyes watched his finger move across the map and then she slowly looked up at his lips as he was mumbling something to himself as he focused on the map. Those lips had her in a trance as she thought back to the night before and even to this mornings make out session. To this point she had no idea what had come over them to make them so hungry for the other but one thing Elena knew for sure; she wanted more.

She was broken out of her trance when the front door of the Inn opened a young guy with blonde hair walked in carrying a package. When he saw Elena sitting at a table his eyes immediately turned to hers and Elena figured it was because he didn't recognize her. Being a town of about 400 people, it wasn't had to believe that everyone knew practically everyone. He seemed about her age and as he gave her a smile he moved towards the counter of the bar and plopped the package down.

The very "charming" lady behind the counter came over to him and took the package from him. "Okay thanks Matt, I need you to go help your sister clean up the rooms for these people," she told him as he must be her son.

Matt turned back to look at the two and while Damon was busy ready the map Elena gave Matt a smile as he waved to her. Licking his lips he walked over to the two and introduced himself. "It's not everyday we get visitors in Chesterfield, I'm Matt Donovan" he told them and held out his hand.

"Hi I'm Elena" she replied back and then to turned to Damon who seemed to be ignoring them both. "And this is Damon, he's not a people person" Elena said with an apologetic tone.

"Unless he knows how I can rent a car around this freak of a town he is no use to me," Damon answered without even looking up at the guy.

Elena rolled her eyes and apologized again for Damon. "Sorry he must of left his manners somewhere else" she said and then kicked him under the table in the shin. He winced in pain and gave Elena and death stare before looking back down at his map.

"I've got a truck, where did you need to go?" Matt asked as he pointed to the pickup truck sitting just outside.

This got Damon's attention and he looked up from the map and at the truck and then over at Matt. Suddenly his whole attitude changed and he smiled at Matt. "Hi I'm Damon" he said and held out his hand to shake the pretty boy's hand,

* * *

"Where could the be? How can there be no sign of them," Jenna yelled as she was freaking out on the now returned search party that couldn't find them. She was in tears and her imagination was going into over drive. "What if they are hurt out there and they have no way to call out for help!"

"Jenna we haven't given up" Alaric told her.

"There could have been an animal attack, they could be so lost in the woods that they can't find their way out, we shouldn't of let them go out there! What kind of guardian am I to let her go out there into the unknown?" She cried as she paced the floor. Her breathing was heavy and fast and it got to the point that as she was crying and she was struggling to breath.

Alaric was quick to grab Jenna and drag her to the couch. Sitting her down he had her bowing her head to focus on her breathing as he rubbed her back. "We will find them," he promised her. Jenna was able to control her breathing a little more but she couldn't stop the tears of panic so Alaric just sat next to his best friend on the couch and held her close while doing his best to tell her they would find them.

Watching Jenna fall apart was really getting to Stefan and he needed to get himself away from her so that she wouldn't see him losing it as well. He needed to stay strong in front of her because if they all freaked out they wouldn't be able keep Jenna calm. Stepping away from the group Stefan moved towards the small hallway that led to the bedroom and lead against the wall as his tears started to fall. His brother and girlfriend were missing and they had no idea where to start looking for them now.

Caroline had taken notice of Stefan's disappearing act and was quick to come up and see if he was okay. "Stefan?" she said softly to him as he had his back to her while he leaned his forehead against the wall.

"This can't be happening, yesterday can't be the last time I talked to them," Stefan said with tears in his eyes as he turned to look at Caroline. "If I had known I would of… I would of never…" he tried to say but it was too hard. "Damon is the only family I have left and Elena… Oh god Elena" he started to say before it was too much and he broke down.

Caroline was quick to rush to his side, as she wasn't about to lose hoped that they were both all right. "Hey" she said to him as she cupped his face and tried to get him to look at her. "Look at me, Stefan look at me!" she demanded and finally got him to look up at her. "We will find them. We will." As their eyes met a teary eyed Stefan nodded his head unsure if he believed her or just desperately wanted to.

Standing in the corner Bonnie was holding back tears as she too was thinking the worse could of happen to Elena and Damon. She kept fidgeting with her hands because of the nerves and Kol wrapped his arms around her trying to let her know it would be okay because he knew that if he tried to say it he would break down. His best friend was out there somewhere.

Suddenly between all the tension in the room and faces of worry, the front door to the cabin swung open with a creak and Damon stepped inside in a hurry. As the sight of his standing there they were all speechless and shocked that he just walked right in during everyone's freak out. He stood in the doorway looking at them and all their terrified face and knew they had spent this whole time freak out about him and Elena's whereabouts. Jenna was the first to react as she flew off the couch and wrapped her arms tightly around Damon in a sudden hug that caught Damon off guard. "OH THANK GOD! THANK GOD!" she cried, as she didn't seem to be able hold Damon tight enough. Damon was shock by this because in all the years he had known Jenna they had only share a hug at his father's funeral. He gently brought his arm up to pat her on the back as if to say everything was okay. Unfortunately before he could say anything Jenna was looking around for Elena and when she noticed that her niece wasn't walking in the door behind him she went into protective mama bear mode. She gripped Damon around the neck with both hands and slammed him against the wall of the cabin so hard that the whole wall seemed to shake. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BABY!" she growled at him.

"JENNA, JENNA" both Alaric and Stefan yelled as they tried to pull her off him but oddly enough she seemed a lot stronger then them at this point in time.

"Jenna calm down!" Damon said as he gasped for breath and brought his hands up to try and pry her hands off from around his neck.

"WHERE IS SHE?" She yelled at him again as she only got more aggressive. "WHERE IS ELENA?"

"Elena's fine!" Damon blurted out, as his face was turning red now. "We found the town she is at the hotel!" he said quickly.

"She's' okay, Elena is okay!" Jenna said with a relief smile but didn't loosen her tight grip on Damon's neck with her two hands.

"YES, YES, SHE IS! Can I start breathing again?" he begged, as he was now at the point of almost turning blue.

Realizing she hadn't released him yet Jenna pulled her hands away from around Damon's neck and placed them crossed over her heart as she said I prayer of thanks while staring up at the ceiling.

Damon brought his hand up to his neck to massage it while he continued to stare at the freakishly strong Jenna. "God no wonder you were on Mystic Falls High's wrestling team" he told her as he leaned forward to catch his breath.

"Where the hell were you guys?" Stefan asked knowing everyone wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Elena twisted or sprained her ankle so I had to carry her, we were moving a lot slower because of it so we had to stop and sleep in the woods so we didn't get off course. We found the town this morning and after finding the hotel we booked rooms and one of the staff members offered to come and pick you guys up."

"She hurt her ankle?" Jenna asked.

"She's fine, right now she's back at the hotel being looked after. I'm sure they have even made her lunch by now" Damon lied not wanting to be put in a headlock by Jenna the Hulk.

As everyone was taking this new bit of information in Matt who had driven Damon up stepped into the room with a smile. "You guys ready to get out of here?" Matt asked them as he came strolling into the cabin ready to help them load up the tuck.

"Its about time someone said that!" Rebekah called out as she ran to the door. "You can carry me suit case can't you? She asked the handsome blond boy who just gave a smile and a nod in response. "Good!" Rebekah said with a smile before she skipped off to get her seat in the vehicle while everyone else grabbed their stuff in a hurry so they could get the yell out of there.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

As Matt was driving the gang into Chesterfield, they were all staring out the window of this odd western little town. Streets were abandoned and not a sole was seen as they drove through the town. Even with Matt assuring them that during the week the streets were alive with town's people walking and shopping they found it so odd that weekends were always quiet. Pulling up in front of the Inn the gang took a better look at their accommodations for the next couple days and they were a little iffy about it but it wasn't like they had a big selection of hotels to choose from.

As they stepped out of the truck, Caroline was looking around the town as her and Stefan got out their suite cases and Caroline felt a sudden chill through her body. "This town kind of reminds me of a horror flick, you know the ones where you find this weird town in the middle of no where and the visitors never leave. One by one they go missing or are found dead" Caroline said in a whisper. Stefan couldn't help but laugh at Caroline's vivid description but he two found himself a little creeped out.

"Thanks Caroline, now I'm going to have nightmares," he told her as the two headed towards the Inn.

Rebekah had a very disgust look on her face as she looked at the rustic wooden building with the squeaky swinging Inn sign that was cracked and hanging on one hinge. "You have got to be kidding me," Rebekah said in horror at the place she was stuck to stay in. "Damon you can't be serious," complained to him with a pouted lip.

"I never said it was The Ritz honey," Damon said with a smirk as he was helping the others get the suite cases out of the truck. As he walked past her towards the Inn she glared at him in disgust and crossed her arms angrily while following in behind. This was so not how things were suppose to be, for one she shouldn't be stuck in the middle of nowhere and second Damon wasn't suppose to be ignoring her. Pushing open the door to the Inn she stepped in to the dingy bar/inn and couldn't believe that this was where he expected her to stay.

So caught up in her own complaining Rebekah didn't realize she was blocking the way for everyone else until Jenna practically ran her over as she flew into the room looking for Elena. While they were gone Elena had gotten a little more comfortable and was sitting on a sofa in the far corner and her foot propped up on the old barn wood coffee table. Even Elena was surprised when Jenna suddenly jumped on top of her with her arms instantly around her in a tight hug. "Oh Elena, thank god! Thank god!" she cried as she refused to let her go.

"I'm glad to see you too Jenna" Elena said with a laugh as she wrapped her arms around her aunt and patted her on the back.

"Do you have any idea how many different disturbing scenarios I have cooked up in my head last night? God I'm so glad you're okay," she said still having a tight hold on her.

"OH ELENA!" Caroline cried as her and Bonnie dropped their bags at the doors and ran over and jumped on the couch to give their friend a hug. "You had us all worried," she told her hugging Elena so tight the girl couldn't' breath.

"Okay I need to breath," she told her aunt and friends and they finally pulled back to give her some space.

"What happened out there?" Bonnie asked as she took a seat on the coffee table in front of her while Jenna and Caroline sat on either side of her on the couch.

As Elena repeated the question in her head she stared at her friends suddenly speechless as she remembered what did happen out there in the woods. Her eyes slowly moved across the room to where Damon was talking with the guys. She wasn't sure what they were talking about and she didn't really care, all she knew was that she felt so drawn to Damon right now and it was such an odd feeling. She watched as his lips moved as he talked, how he smiled and scratched his jet-black hair with those fingers that were running through her hair just hours ago. Turning back to her friends she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and motioned to her ankle. "I fell in the river and twisted my ankle, I'm fine other then that" she told them.

"I'm surprised you and Damon didn't tear each other apart" Bonnie teased.

"Yeah that's the shocker," Elena said with a nervously laugh just as she noticed Stefan coming over.

When Caroline saw him coming over she had a big grin on her face and then made an excuse of going to check out the rest of the hotel with Jenna and Bonnie. Her motive wasn't very settle and Elena just shook her head knowing exactly what Caroline was doing but decided not to make a big fuss about it as the girls took off.

Stefan had a weak smile on his face as he reached Elena and gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before moving to take a seat next to her. As he did Elena caught a glimpse of Damon who witnessed the hug and kiss but just turned his head to return to his conversation with Kol and Alaric. Biting her bottom lip Elena gave Stefan an awkward smile as she shifted her body on the couch.

"You had us all worried last night," Stefan told her.

"Yeah, we're sorry about that" Elena told him with a nod. "I take it Jenna was a mess?"

"That's one way to put it" he joked remembering Jenna's state the other night. "Damon wasn't too hard on you out there was he?" Stefan asked as he raised an eyebrow and then looked at her ankle wondering how that had happened.

"No this was my own stupidity, although he wasn't too thrilled he had to carry me for a few hours" She told him as she leaned forward to massage her foot.

"Good, I mean he said you fell in the river but I was wondering if he had pushed or thrown you in there" he teased and Elena laughed.

There was an awkward silence between the two for a moment as they both stared at their feet and bit their bottom lips. Stefan let out a sigh and then turned to Elena to break the silence, "I'm glad you're okay, I would of hate if our last conversation was about…" he stopped not being able to find the words. Elena gave a nod understanding he meant about them breaking up and she too was glad that them breaking up wouldn't be their last conversation together. Stefan leaned in to give her a hug and as he held her tight Elena was looking over his shoulders and at Damon how was eyeing closely before he turned and left the hotel with Kol.

* * *

"So what the hell happened out there? The two of you just slept under the starts?" Kol asked as he pulled Damon out of the hotel and away from the others so that he could maybe get the true story of what went on in the woods.

Damon shifted his eyes and shrugged his shoulders as if he had no idea what Kol was talking about. At this point him and Elena weren't sure what they were doing never mind telling everyone else. Damon wasn't even sure he wanted anything to come of it but at the same time if he didn't why was he seeing it as an option. When he saw Stefan and Elena together earlier he felt a bit of jealousy and guilt. Stefan was his brother and Elena meant a lot to him as they dated for six years, but at the same he couldn't help wonder what Stefan was doing hugging Elena the way he did when they broke up. "It was us surrounded by dirt, mosquitos and in the cold! What's to like?" Damon told him.

"Well at least you didn't have to listen to dear Rebekah complain all night long" Kol said as he rolled his eyes and thought back to how everyone in the cabin last night was probably all plotting how to shut up the spoiled blonde. Just then as if she had heard them talking about her, Rebekah stepped out of the hotel doors and came over to join the boys. "Well speak of the devil?" Kol said with a laugh before Rebekah slapped her brother on the arm.

"Shut up Kol!" Rebekah snapped at her brother with a huff. "Why don't you go back to snogging that Bennett girl!" she spat at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

This new piece of information got Damon's interested as he eyed his friend both surprise. Here was Kol wanting to know details of him and Elena and what they got up to when he seemed to be hiding that he was smiting with the browner of the group. "Bonnie Bennett really? What the hell is a guy like you doing with a Bennett?" he laughed.

"What the hell does that mean?" Kol asked in shock and a little hurt at Damon's laugh in disbelief.

"Other then you two have nothing in common and you having no idea where the campus library is?" Damon pointed out.

"She's actually pretty funny and adventurous," Kol told him.

"Yeah and I'm a virgin" Damon joked and watched as Kol just shook his head as his friend doubting Bonnie being anything but a study freak.

"Well enough about Bennett, the real issue is when are we getting out of here, this place is horrid" Rebekah complained as she looked around at the freaky deserted town street.

"We need a tow truck to get the van and after that we need to get a new tire" Damon stated and watched as Rebekah just stared at him as if he should be getting a move on getting that done now. "There is nothing I can do about it right now Bex" Damon told her.

"Well why not?" she complained.

"Everything is closed" came Matt's voice as he came out of the hotel to see the three standing outside.

"There you go" Damon told her with a smirk. "Looks like this town gets to experience the joys of Rebekah like the rest us poor souls" Damon said to her.

"Rude!" Rebekah whined, "Why are you being so mean?"

"I'm being honest" Damon told her and Rebekah slapped him on the arm.

"You can be such a jerk Salvatore!" She told him in anger. "I want to get out of here and I want you to get us out of here now!"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Matt said as he watched the spoiled blonde stomp her feet in front of the two guys who could really care less. Girls like Rebekah weren't from Chesterfield so he was a little taken back by how demanding and whiny she was. "Everything is closed for the weekend you won't be able to get a tow truck or a new tire until Monday" he explained.

This didn't sit well with Rebekah as her eyes shot open wide and her jaw dropped. "So you're telling me I have to stay in this dump for two nights? No not going to happen!" she yelled in anger.

"What exactly are you going to do about it Rebekah, we're stuck here" Kol laughed. Rebekah let out a grunt and then stormed inside while Damon and Kol could really care less.

"Is she always like that?" Matt asked as he watched Rebekah take off in a huff.

"Yeah, but usually if you shove your tongue down her throat she shuts up" Damon replied and Kol just covered his ears and walked away. The last thing he needed was more images of his little sister and Damon getting it on.

* * *

As the night went on the bar at the Inn got a little busier and the gang realized that people really did live in this small town. Damon, Kol and Alaric had made themselves right at home at the bar ordering drink after drink. They tried to get Jenna in on the fun but she said she was still recovering from the drinking the other day.

As the gang laughed and for the most part got along, Damon and Elena kept making a few glances in the others direction when no one else was looking. Both knew that the other was thinking about the night before or even this morning makeup session and how addicting it was. During the afternoon the two hadn't had anytime to themselves to talk as Jenna and Stefan had hardly left Elena's side for a minute.

Kol and Bonnie still seemed pretty smitten with each other on one side of the table, he had managed to get Bonnie to loosen up and have a drink. Kol had an arm around the back of her chair and had Bonnie giggling at all of his jokes, whether the others found them funny or not. Caroline was sitting across from her friend and it was like she was staring at a whole knew Bonnie. The girl was usually locking herself in her room to study and wasn't one to get out and have fun but tonight seemed to be a totally different story.

The only one who wasn't sitting with the group was Rebekah and while no one went looking for the blonde they soon got their answer as she came out into the bar pulling her suite cases behind her. Kol was the first to look up at his sister as she looked moody and piss off as she came storming into the bar and dropped her bags by their table. "And what are you doing?" Kol asked his dramatic sister.

"I'm leaving, this is not how I planned to spend my one week off from school and I'm not about spend another second wasting it here!" she spat out.

"And what exactly are you planning to do?" Damon asked.

"Not that you actually care but mother sent a driver to pick me up," Rebekah stated as she flicked her hair back.

"You called mother? Are you serious, we are on the North Carolina Border" Kol stated.

"And I don't want to hang around an see how else you guys can make this trip go wrong" she told them. As she looked out the window she saw a car drive up and park outside the Inn and she gave a smile. "Well hopefully you don't all end up dead at the side of a ditch but I'm not waiting around to see if that happens" she stated and then picked up her suite cases and stormed out like some spoiled brat unable to get her way.

"And lets cheer to that!" Alaric called out happily as everyone's irritating Rebekah voice would no longer be filling his or her ears. She gave them a final glare as she left but no one seemed to care. Even Jenna couldn't help to toast to that and got herself a drink to celebrate.

In between the cheering and laughing, Elena glanced over at Stefan and a big part of her felt so guilty for all the thoughts she was having for his brother. It was only yesterday really that her and Stefan had officially broke up and it didn't take her long before she was kissing someone else never mind Stefan's own brother. She hated that this would crush him if he ever found out and he may never forgive her for this. As she thought about the hurt that would be in his eyes it became too much for her and she needed some space in this busy little bar.

As she backed up her chair from the table, Jenna suddenly grabbed her arm as if she was afraid Elena was about to disappear forever. "Jenna's just going to the bathroom" Elena assured her as she pried her aunt's tight grip off her arm.

"Sorry" Jenna said with a laugh and then let go of her hand as Alaric handed another drink to calm her down.

"You okay?" Stefan asked her and Elena just gave him a smile as she slowly got up.

During the afternoon Elena had started putting a bit of pressure on her foot and was able limp from place to place with little pain. This was a good sign because it meant she hadn't done any serious damage to her foot. As she excused herself from the group she limped towards the washroom and quickly slipped inside and locked the door. Brushing her hair back she made her way over to the sink and turned on the faucet. As the cold water started to flow out she splashed it up into her face trying to get the thought out betrayal in Stefan's eyes out of her mind.

Looking up at herself in the mirror she stared at the girl who would hurt someone she cared so much about if he ever found out the truth of what happened in the woods. She had seen how relieved Stefan was to see that she was all right and she could already tell by the way he was with her today that he was thinking about them and possibly talking about their relationship. It was a look in Stefan's eyes that Elena was able to read so well after knowing him for years and being in love with him for six years. Learning about what happened between her and Damon would destroy him and there was no way Elena wanted to be the reason for causing him so much pain.

There was a knock on the bathroom door and Elena quickly wiped her face and did her best to compose herself. Turning off the tap she pulled her hair in to a high ponytail and let out a shaking breath before turning and making her way to unlock and exit the bathroom. Pulling open the door she was a little shocked to find Damon leaning against the frame of the door staring at her. "Hi gimpy" Damon teased before he pushed his body of the doorframe and walked past Elena and into the bathroom.

Biting her bottom lip Elena turned to face Damon and wondered what he was doing here. Seeing as he was just looking around the bathroom he was obvious here to talk to her and she figured now was a good a time as ever to discuss what happens from here between her and Damon.

"You and Stefan seem to be on better terms" Damon stated letting her know he had witness how Stefan seem to have an arm around her for most of the afternoon. It seemed him and Jenna kept fighting to see who got to sit closer to her or get what ever she needed while she had her foot propped up.

"He along with everybody was worried about us last night," Elena stated.

"Yeah I'm his brother and I didn't even get a hug, never mind him getting me lunch," Damon stated as he turned his back to her. "He seemed to be pretty helpful for just being an ex boyfriend" he added.

Elena licked her lips as Damon turned back to face her and the two made eye contact and stayed silent for a moment before Elena looked down at her feet. "Look Stefan and I are broken up but no matter what happens between me and Stefan, you and I can never happen," she told him.

"Your worried how he will react if he finds out what happened out there" Damon stated as he circled around Elena as she stood in the middle of the bathroom following him with her eyes.

"It would destroy him, this wouldn't just be me moving on it would be like a betrayal from both of us; you are his brother Damon."

"So you're worried about his feelings?" Damon asked and Elena gave him a nod but she could tell he didn't like the excuse. "Look Stefan is a big boy, he'll get over it, I always do," he told her.

Elena rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Damon it doesn't take you more then a shower to get over a girl," she told him as she crossed her arms.

This got Damon's attention and he came to a stop in front of her and eyed her closely. Seeing the fear in her eyes, it had very little to actually do with hurting Stefan but she was actually worried that if she gave them a chance he would get bored and move on and leave her heart broken. "You know you are different then a girl I pick up from a bar" he told her and watched as he saw her staring at him nervously as he got closer and closer to her.

Her heart was pounding faster and faster as he continued to get closer to her. She found her eyes attracted to his lips and she was starting to forget about everything else around her. "I don't want to hurt Stefan" Elena stated in a whisper.

"Neither to I" Damon replied as his lips were only inches from hers.

He was so close to her and all she had to do was make the first move and she would be able to experience that feeling she did the other night as she lay in his arms. Pushing everything else out of her mind Elena decided to stop thinking about everyone else and go for when she wanted and what she wanted was Damon. Her eager hands reached out and grabbed his black shirt and pulled him closer to her and bring his lips came crashing down on her.

Immediately reacting to her Damon's arms were around her waist while hers linked around his neck and through his hair. She let out a moan of pleasure as Damon's mouth attacked hers and his tongue claimed her mouth much like it did last night. Sucking on her bottom lip, Damon lifted Elena up and turned to press her back against the wall of the bathroom.

Needing to breath Damon pulled his mouth away from hers but within seconds his mouth was tasting the skin on her neck. With her back pressed against the wall, Elena's head fell back against the wall as well as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her mouth was open enjoying the pleasure he had soaring through her body as her breathing quickened. Needing to taste him again she pulled his mouth back up to hers and Damon was only too happy to oblige and brought his mouth back to hers. She took charged this time and her tongue moved into his mouth to find his.

Elena's legs wrapped around Damon's waist and pulled him closer to her. Her mouth didn't dare separate from his as he moved closer to her and started to run a hand along her thighs that was wrapped around him while the other supported their weight on the wall behind Elena. The kiss was so hot and so much better then the one before that the two couldn't believe they had made it all day without this. They were both moaning in pleasure as their hands touched what ever they could without their mouths separating from the kiss.

So caught up in each other they seemed to forget where they were until the bathroom door swing open and they heard a surprising voice call out, "OH MY GOD!"

Elena was first to pull away as she looked over Damon's shoulder while her legs were still around his waist tightly with his hand on her thighs. Her hands where cupping his face and she turned to look at the intruder looking completely guilty about how they had been caught. "BONNIE" she said as her legs dropped to the floor.

Damon cursed under his breath but he didn't turn to look at Bonnie who stood in the doorway in complete shock of what she had just walked into. Biting his bottom lip Damon back away from Elena as she was fixing her clothes and her hair.

"We were just going to head to bed" Bonnie stated as she was still speechless on what to say to what she had just witnessed.

"Yeah, okay I'm coming" she stated as she took a quick glance at Damon and then limped out of the bathroom without even another look in Bonnie's direction. Bonnie watched her friend who was moving pretty quickly for having an injured foot to get out of that awkward situation. Once Elena was gone Bonnie glance over at Damon who just stared at Bonnie until she too left the bathroom with out another word.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Thanks for all the reviews, I'm glad people are enjoying this alternate Universe!**_

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Elena woke up startled as she felt a sudden force of a pillow landing on top of her, turning on to her back as she lay in bed she saw Bonnie standing over her looking like Elena had a lot of explaining to do. Staring at her friend as she stood over her bed Elena just let out a groan and tried to bury herself with her blankets and pillows.

Following Bonnie catching her and Damon in a very awkward and intimate position, Elena had quickly made her way to the girl's room and got ready for bed. Caroline and Jenna were already in the room so thankfully Bonnie didn't say anything in front of them. She notice Bonnie staring at her a few times but Elena did her best to ignore her as she climbed into the hotel bed next to Jenna while Bonnie and Caroline shared the other bed. Everyone was pretty quiet last night and that made Elena grateful because the less talking she did the less she had to worry about Caroline or Jenna thinking something was up with her. This morning's wake up call courtesy of Bonnie was going to be the start of a conversation that she didn't want to have but knew she would have to have eventually.

"Oh no you don't! No more sleeping you have a lot of explaining to do" Bonnie told her friend as she hit her again with the pillow.

Elena let out a groan and as she looked up from her pillow she noticed that both Caroline and Jenna had left the room so at least this wasn't a conversation that would involved more people learning about what had happened last night. Biting her bottom lip Elena looked up at her friend as she slowly sat up in bed and looked around the empty room. There was no escaping this now, Bonnie knew her secret and if she didn't do some damage control now, word might get out to Caroline and heaven forbid Stefan before she was ready.

"Lets go Elena, time to fess up! What hell is going on?" Bonnie said to her and hit her once again with the pillow.

"Okay I'm up, I'm up!" Elena snapped at her friend as she grabbed the pillow from her and tossed it across the room. With a huff Elena threw off the covers off and pulled her hair up in a ponytail as she hopped around the room in her pajamas and over to her suitcase to get her clothes. The whole time Bonnie remained standing in between the two beds with her arms crossed and watching Elena and waiting for her to come clean. "How long have you and Damon been sneaking around?" she asked.

"We're not, technically" Elena stated as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well then how long have you and Damon being swapping saliva?" Bonnie tried again. "What about Stefan?"

Elena's head quickly shot in her friends direction and she could see on Bonnie's face that she was thinking that her and Damon had been secretly been fooling around behind Stefan's back. "NO! It's not like that; I've never cheated on Stefan. It happened while we were in the woods" Elena stated and watched, as Bonnie's face seemed to relax a bit.

Bonnie watched her friend for a moment and then shook her head still uncertain about how all this was happening. "Elena what the hell are you doing? This is Damon we're talking about; the two of you can't get through a game of flag football with out practically killing each other" Bonnie said as she took a seat on the bed while Elena was hiding behind the closet door so she could changed.

"I honestly don't know what I am doing" Elena told her as she hopped back into view all dressed and preceded to put her pajamas into her suitcase. "It just happened and I can't seem to stop," she added looking a little guilty.

"So what are you and Damon a thing now?" Bonnie asked.

"No we're not… I mean I…" Elena was so confused herself about what she was doing that explaining it to someone else was not easy. "I honestly don't know."

Bonnie continued to stare at her friend as she seemed troubled and obviously had no idea what she was doing. This wasn't the Elena she was used to seeing but then again for the past six years she thought Elena was deeply in love with Stefan and that the two could make it thought anything and yet right here she saw her friend all confused and speechless about another guy. Yet not just any guy, this was Damon Salvatore, Stefan's brother and someone Elena had really nothing in common with she thought.

"Look Elena I'm not here to judge you, I just don't want you to get hurt because you of all people know that kind of person Damon is and how he cares about only himself."

Elena nodded; as it was definitely something that had crossed her mind already; Damon and Stefan, although brothers were completely different in so many ways. While Stefan was the relationship type Damon wasn't and his longest relationship from what Elena could remember was about a month with a girl name Rose.

"I honestly have no idea what I am doing."

* * *

Caroline came bouncing into the bar part of the hotel and found Stefan sitting on the sofa reading a book. Damon and Kol were also in the room sitting at a table going over the route they would be taking for the next part of their trip. Licking her lips she smiled over at Stefan and moved towards the couch to take a seat next to him.

Stefan looked up at the perky blonde as she was staring at him as if she were waiting for him to fill her in on something she desperately wanted to know. He gave her a questioning look having no idea what she was waiting for him to tell her. Caroline rolled her eyes and then let out a huff, "So have you talk to Elena yet? Are the two of you back together now?"

Stefan let out a nervous laugh at his number one cheerleader, he scratched his head, "No I haven't, we haven't really had any time to ourselves" Stefan told her.

"Well we are stuck in this boring town with nothing to do but wait until tomorrow to tow our car and get a new tire so this is the best time as ever" Caroline told him excitedly like the two of them getting back together was the simplest thing ever. Damon, although trying not to listen to them, couldn't help but eavesdrop as Stefan was considering on getting back together with Elena. He knew he had no claim over Elena but he still found himself not pleased about this news.

When Elena entered the bar she still had a bit of a limp but was definitely not in as much pain anymore. She came to a halt when she caught sight of Damon for the first time since their kiss the night before and she felt her heart pounding as she thought back to that moment. She couldn't put her finger on it but something about kissing Damon was so addicting

Her thoughts were interrupt when she heard Stefan call out her name and Elena quickly looked away from where Damon was sitting and looked over at Stefan who was walking towards her. He had a smile on his face and just seeing him look so happy made Elena feel that much guiltier. "Hey how are you feeling?" Stefan asked her as he looked down to her injured foot.

"Ah, it's getting better" Elena responded as she too looked down at her foot and moved it a bit feeling little pain. "It should be better by tomorrow when we leave" Elena told him as she forced a smile.

"That's good" he told her and then reached out to give her a hug. Elena was a little taken back by the hug but soon responded and hugged him back. As the two hugged for a moment Elena felt Damon's eyes on her and she suddenly felt very exposed and needed to back away and get some space. Her sudden need for space went unnoticed by Stefan who just smiled at her and reached out for her hand. "I got you some lunch, hope your hungry," he told her happily.

"Actually I'm starving" she said with a nervous laugh and still with a bit of a limp allowed Stefan to walk her towards a table a few tables down from where Damon and Kol. Showing her to the table he had a couple of sandwiches place on it for them to enjoy. Stefan happily help pull out Elena's chair for her as she took a seat. As she started to eat the sandwich Stefan took a seat across from her and watched as she was definitely hungry and inhaled her sandwich.

Stefan nervously played with the sleeve on his sweater as he tried to think about how to go about this conversation. After thinking he may never get to see Elena again he found himself rethinking about all the time they had been together and he did still loved her so he wanted to work things out with her. They had been together for six years and a rough patch shouldn't be the end of a great love. "Listen Elena…" Stefan started to say with a sigh as he found the courage to look up at her wanting to get this out. "After yesterday I realized something, and since then I haven't been able to get it out of my head."

Elena looked up at Stefan a little confused and eyed him closely trying to think about what he meant. Stefan bit his bottom lip as he worked out what he wanted to say in his head before he let out a deep breath and then reached out to grasp her hands in his. Elena didn't know what to say as they started to hold hands but she did suddenly get a rush of guilt about kissing Damon. "When we broke up it was because we thought we didn't care anymore about saving our relationship but after the idea of losing you, it really hit me. I still love you Elena and I think we should work this out," he told her and Elena found herself speechless.

Her eyes were staring at Stefan as he said these words of love to her and she was speechless. Looking down at their hands as they were intertwined on the table Elena's guilt grew even more as she thought about how that smile and love in his eyes would totally disappear if he were to find out the things she had done and was thinking about doing with Damon. Licking her lips she couldn't bring herself to look up at him in the eyes. She didn't know what to say to him but her thoughts of Stefan were quickly put on hold as she looked up to see Damon getting up from his spot at the table and leaving. No doubt he had heard the conversation they were having and obviously didn't want to listen to her answer. "Stefan…" she said when she found her voice although a little shaky.

"Look you don't need to decide right now," Stefan quickly told her as he could sense hesitance in her voice.

Nodding her head Elena pulled her hands back towards her body and shoved them under the table and onto her lap. "I need time to work through some things," Elena told him. "The reason for our break up are still the same and I need time to myself to figure what I want," she told him and although she could see he wasn't thrilled about the answer he understood her wanting time. Giving him one last smile Elena nodded her head and then slowly got up from her seat.

She needed to get away and she need to think, she had thought her and Stefan were finished but now he was saying he still loved her and wanted to work things out. She forced herself not to turn back and look at Stefan as he seemed hopeful of them getting back together when all she felt was guilt for betraying him in the worst possible way. Sure they had broken up before she started getting these thoughts for Damon but whether they stayed broken up or not the idea of her and Damon would be seen as a betrayal to him. Quickly hobbling away she was heading back to her room but as she turned down the hallway she came face to face with Damon leaning against the wall looking as if he had been waiting for her.

"So everything is going back to rainbows and unicorns with my brother I see" Damon said without looking at her. "Except for the secrets and lies that is" he added.

"Damon not now!" Elena said in frustration. She had enough on her mind she didn't need Damon complicating things even more especially since every time she looked at him she wanted nothing more then to slam him against the wall and have her way with him.

"Are you getting back together with my brother?" he asked her.

"That is none of your business," she snapped at him.

"Are you going to tell him what happened?"

Elena didn't want to deal with Damon right now; she was dealing with so much and she was so confused. She had no idea what she was doing but what she knew was that she didn't want to hurt Stefan in one of the worst possible ways when he had been nothing but supportive of her. "I'm not going to do this Damon" Elena told him in anger. "We can't do this anymore, we can't hurt him this way. Last night was a mistake," she told him doing her best to hold it together.

"Hey you kissed me last night!" Damon snapped at her.

"And I'm putting a stop to it! Nothing can ever happen between us. We are too different and I do not want to hurt Stefan in one of the worst possible ways" Elena told him in anger and although she wasn't angry at Damon she found herself taking it out on him because she was feeling so guilty for what she really wanted to do with him leaning against that wall. "It was a mistake and we need to forget about it, okay!"

Damon clenched his jaw and although he knew she didn't want to hurt Stefan her words still stung to hear. "Oh I go it Elena" he responded in a vicious tone to her angry tone. The two glared at each other both frustrated and anger about what they wanted and what they knew would be nothing but a betrayal to someone they both cared about.

'Well good!" she told him and then got ready to leave.

"But let me be clear," he said grabbing her arm and pulling her back to him so his face was inches from hers; his lips were almost close enough to taste. "I think we would be good together, but I'm not chasing you." As he backed away and Elena felt the urge to pull him back but resisted. "If nothing is ever going to happen between us you won't have a problem if I sleep with someone else during this trip?" he asked her and watched, as Elena was looking at him both shocked and angry. She couldn't believe that he as thinking about sleeping with someone else like nothing ever happened but then did she really expect anything different from Damon? "Do what ever the hell you want Damon, I could care less!" she spat at him and then stormed off to her room needing to be alone.

* * *

That night as the group was enjoying some time together in the bar and having a few drinks, Elena found herself being pretty much the worst company ever. Her friends were talking to her and trying get her involved in their conversation but her mind was more interested in what was happening across the bar or more specifically what Damon was doing across the bar.

Unlike the rest of the group that was sitting together Damon had taken up a seat at the bar next to Vickie, the daughter of the Inn owner. The two had been chatting and having a couple drinks together and Vickie seemed to be hanging on every word he was saying.

"Well I see Damon isn't too upset about losing Rebekah," Caroline joked.

"Lets just say it will be less awkward for me if I find myself sleeping in the hall because he is with some random chick rather then my sister" Kol said before taking a drink.

"What does he think he's doing anyway?" Bonnie said as she glared at Damon knowing what she knew. Elena, who was sitting beside Bonnie gave her a quick nudge and mumbled for her to leave it alone while the others seemed to move on to the next topic.

As the night continued Vickie seemed to be getting a lot bolder with Damon as her hand was resting on his thigh and she was whispering in his ear. To Elena is was horrible to watch because just last night he was kissing her and now although partly because of her he was making moves on some other girl who wasn't about to turn him down. He would every so often turn to look at her as if daring her to stop him and what could happen. There was no doubt in Elena's mind at how Damon and Vickie's night was going to end and Elena didn't want to witness anymore. "Well I think I'm going to call it a night," Elena told the group as she stood up from her seat.

"What, come on it's only 8pm" Caroline stated.

"Yeah well I'm tired" Elena told them with a shrug and then started to walk towards the rooms without looking back at anyone at the table or at Vickie who probably had her tongue down Damon's throat by now.

"I hope she's okay" Caroline said watching her friend leave looking pretty upset. "Stefan why don't you go see how she is?" Caroline suggested with a wink.

"No give her space" Bonnie injected. She knew Caroline was trying to help Stefan and Elena get back together but seeing as Elena's mind was all confused with feelings for Damon she didn't think Stefan complicating things more was helpful at all.

With a nod Stefan took his seat again and remained at the table. Enjoying what was hopefully their last night in this hotel, the gang had a few more drinks and laughs before deciding to call it a night. The girls were first to leave and headed back to their room to also check on Elena and then were followed by Stefan and Alaric as they headed to their room. Kol wasn't exactly ready to let the night end yet and ended up making some new friends and doing a few shots with them and the whole time Damon remained at the bar counter with Vickie.

Back in the girl's room they all got ready for bed, and as they turned the lights off everyone was pretty much asleep straight away. Well Everyone but Elena who found herself tossing and turning as images of Damon kissing and touching Vickie haunted her. She hated that she couldn't get rid of theses images in her mind when she had made it perfectly clear to Damon she didn't want him and that she could case less what he did. The issue though was that she did care and the idea of him being with Vickie made her angry. Letting out a frustrated sigh Elena glanced at her aunt sleeping on the other side of the bed and then at Caroline and Bonnie on the other bed, as they were all out cold. Biting her bottom lip Elena quietly and slowly got out of bed and pulled on a sweater before sneaking out of the room in her pajamas. Her mind was obviously not about to let her sleep with the idea of Damon and Vickie together so she was going to make sure that Damon wasn't going to be with anyone else.

As she entered the bar she saw Kol having the time of his life with some new friends like they had known each other for years. Just before she was about to change her mind and go back to bed she spotted Damon and Vickie getting ready to leave the bar. She saw the smile on Vickie's face, as she was not so subtle about letting Damon know what she wanted. "Damon!" Elena said as she walked over to the two.

Both Damon and Vickie seemed shocked to see her there or at least Damon did; Vickie just looked pissed like she knew what this girl was about to do. "Elena what's going on?" Damon asked her.

"Can it wait until morning?" Vickie asked as her hands were running through Damon's hair and then she reach in to suck on his ear.

"No it can't!" Elena demanded, "Damon I was wrong, I do care and I don't want you sleeping with some random girl from the bar," Elena told him.

"Excuse me" Vickie snapped in anger.

Damon was staring at Elena for a moment as if seeing if she was going to suddenly change her mind and run off but she looked very determined as she stood there. Giving a nod he turned to look at Vickie shrugged his shoulders. "Vic this has been fun but I think we should call it a night" he told her.

"What, are you serious?" she snapped at him and then turned to glare at Elena before she let out a grunt and stormed off to the back of the bar.

This left Elena and Damon standing in front of each other looking a little awkward and unsure of what was going to happen next. "So you want to talk?" Damon asked her as he stepped a little closer to her.

"Not here" Elena said shaking her head as she took his hand in hers and started pulling down the hall towards the rooms. "I don't… she can't have you" she told him as they stood in front of his and Kol's room.

"Why not" he whispered softly and so close to her as their eyes connected in lust and passion.

"Because I want you," she answered and before she knew what she was doing she had Damon pressed up against the wall in the hallway that he had been leaning against earlier except this time she was attacking his lips in a hungry kiss. When Damon's back hit the wall his arms were immediately on her body, in her hair and touching what ever he could. While Elena was sucking on Damon's bottom lip her fingers cup his face and the slowly move up and into his hair. With the kiss getting hotter and hotter by the second, Damon picked Elena up so that her long legs could wrap around his waist while he moved them towards the door and fiddled with the handle until it opened and they stumbled inside and put a sock on the door.

Their lips never parted, they just got more desperate for the other as Elena's feet dropped to the floor and her hands slid down his shoulders and chest to start unbuttoning the black shirt. Damon had one hand under her jaw line and the other was making its way through her long brown hair. Their lips were like magnets to each other as Damon's tongue found Elena's. His foot kicked the door closed with a bit of a slam as Elena was quickly shoving off Damon's shirt and tossing it across the room.

Picking her back up with his arms holding her up from under her thighs, Damon was moving her towards the bed on the far side of the room. His mouth was covering hers as he kissed her bottom lip and then her top lip. Bringing her to the bed, he set her down on her knees on her mattress so that they were at the same eye level now. They broke from the kiss to catch their breath but their eyes never left each other and the desire was growing with every touch and kiss. During this break from kissing Damon reached for the hem of Elena's sweater and then tank top and pulled them over her head. Damon's hands were on her hips and his eyes started to take in her naked chest. Slowly his fingers with a tender touch moved slowly up her stomach and breasts while his lips moved to her neck and collarbone to taste her skin.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she arched her back so that her body was even closer to his. Her hands moved from his jet-black hair and down his naked muscular back. The feel of his lips on her body felt so good that she couldn't help but let out moans of pleasure. Slowly her fingers found their way to the button on his jeans and she popped the button and pushed them to the floor. In one swift motion Damon had Elena in his arms and then had her lying in the middle of the bed as he hovered over top of her and capturing her lips again.

"Damon" Elena said with an uncontrollable moan as she felt Damon's hands and mouth all over her body and touching her in all the right places to make her beg for more.

Rolling them over she was now on top and in control. Leaning forwards for a kiss she felt Damon's hand running up and down her naked back leaving her with goosebumps. When she sat up her delicate fingers caressed down his chest and she seductively moved her hips so that she was positioned to rub against a certain part of Damon's body that made him groan with pleasure. She smiled at was she was doing to him and then leaned down to press kisses down his chest while Damon's hands were teasingly on her thighs.

Flipping them back over, Elena couldn't help but smile as Damon captured her lips with his while his hands worked to slip off her pajama pants so that she lay completely naked underneath him. As her pajama bottoms fell to the floor and she was fully exposed to Damon for the first time she found herself dealing with a very odd feeling. She should feel a bit shy or nervous but she didn't, she felt safe and comfortable with him as they lay in each other's arms.

Taking her bottom lip in between his lips, Damon was rewards with a moan from Elena as her body arched a little closer to him hinting at what she knew that both wanted. Damon couldn't help but smile at her eagerness but had to reluctantly pull away.

"What? What are you doing?" Elena asked feeling the loss of his body warmth.

Damon let out a chuckle as he rolled off the bed to make sure the door was lock and then went rummaging through his suite case in only his boxers. "Someone is a little eager," Damon said with a laugh as he quickly dug around in his bag. When he found what he was looking for he gave her a quick smile before pulling out the large box of condoms.

Elena propped herself up on her up on the bed and watched as Damon set the box on the nightstand next to the bed. Licking her lips Elena got a better look at the box of condoms and let out a giggle, "A box of 36 huh? A little cocky about how things would turn out for you in Florida" Elena said.

Damon chuckled as he climbed back on the bed next to her and let his hands roam up and down the side of her naked body, and then pulled her leg up to wrap around him. "I like to be prepared" Damon laughed before he leaned forward and started leaving kisses on her shoulders and collarbone. "Think of it this way, we won't run out tonight" he growled and as Elena laughed she pulled him down on top of her and captured his lips with hers as Damon's boxers soon joined the rest of their clothes on the floor.

* * *

After last call Kol said his goodbyes to all his new friends, announcing that he loved them all and that they should meet him in West Palm Beach. He had lost count of how many drinks he had but he definitely had some fun with the town folk. As he stumbled down the hall towards the room, he was leaning against the wall to stop himself from falling over. When he finally made it he stood in front of the door and stared at the sock on his and Damon's doorknob. Letting out a drunken groan he leaned his back against the wall on the other side of the hallway and slowly sunk to the floor. He had no desire to walk in on Damon and that Vickie chick fornicating so it looked like he was sleeping out here. "How come I got stuck with the manwhore for a roommate?" he mumbled to himself as he tried to get comfortable to sleep in the hallway for the night.

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**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Thanks for all the reviews**_

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**Chapter 12**

The early morning sunrays peaked into the hotel room where a tired Elena and Damon lay tangled in sheets and each other's arms. Elena's body was curled around Damon as he lay on his back in the middle of the bed. Her head rested on her pillow but the bridge of her nose was pressed against Damon's naked shoulder inhaling his scent while his head was leaning towards her forehead. They both had a hand resting on Damon's chest and their fingers intertwined.

Elena was the first to stir in her sleep and her tired eyes fluttered open. She was a little disoriented and it took her a moment to realize where she was. Lifting her head from her pillow, Elena glanced around the quiet room and the empty bed on the other side of the room; Kol had obviously not dared to venture inside. Elena gently unlinked her fingers with Damon and ran them through her hair while she stared down at a peaceful sleeping Damon. Licking her lips she smiled at him and slowly leaned down to tenderly leave a trail of kisses down his chest and torso.

Damon let out a tired moan as his was woken by her kisses on his body and when he opened his eyes to look at her she had a big smile on her face. Damon too smiled and his arms reached out for her to pulled her back up as she giggled so that he could give her a proper good morning kiss. Moving up his body, Elena climbed on top of him so that their naked bodies were pressed together as her lushes lips captured his own. His hands trailed up and down her naked back while he let out a moan of pleasure. When Elena pulled back from the kiss her one hand was running through his hair.

"Morning" she told him with a big smile and then her face fell to kiss his neck and collarbone.

Damon let out another moan as he wrapped his arms around her tighter and lay his head back to enjoy the sense of pleasure she was giving him. He was so tired but with her lips all over his body he knew that neither of them would be sleeping anytime soon "How do you have so much energy for someone who got less then two hours of sleep?" Damon mumbled while Elena moved back up his body to capture his lips again.

She let out a giggled before she tenderly kissing his lips and let her tongue slip into his mouth. They both let out groans of pleasure as their hands touch whatever part of the others body they could. When Elena pulled her lips away her eyes stayed gazing into his. "Do you want to sleep right now?" she asked him with a smile.

Before answering her, Damon swiftly rolled them over so that he was now pinning her down on the mattress. "You know just because I had a box of 36 condoms doesn't mean we have to finish it in one night" Damon teased her as he reached into the box that definitely had a lot less then it had the night before. It had been a pretty sleepless night by choice, as the two couldn't seem to get enough of each other. The sex was so addicting that they woke each other up in the middle of the night a number of times to reclaim that high their bodies gave each other. With a smirk on his face Damon stared down at Elena underneath him and after a tender kiss he trails down Elena's body and went under the covers as Elena lay there with her mouth open and moaning with pleasure with every touch his hands and mouth did to her.

* * *

Coming down from their high, the two of them lay with the sheet falling over their glistening bodies. Focused on bringing her breathing back to normal, Elena was resting her head on Damon's chest as her one hands moved up and down his torso as he too was trying to bring his breathing back to normal. "What time is it?" Elena asked him still sounding a little out of breath.

Damon not wanting to move, he reached his arm out from his spot on the bed and tried to grab his phone. After nudging it a little closer to him he was able to get a hold of it and brought it over to check the time. "Just after 7am" he told her.

Nodding Elena moved her head to plant a kiss on his chest before falling back into place of lying on his chest and running her fingers up and down his torso. "When do we have to leave?" she asked him knowing that today they would be heading off.

Damon let out a tired sigh as his fingers made their way through her soft long brown hair as it draped over her naked back and on his shoulder. "I can call the tow truck in an hour and hopefully we can get a new tire and be on the road by ten" he told her and then leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

Elena gave a nod without lifting her head from his chest and looked over at the empty bed on the other side of the room. She was still a little surprised that Kol hadn't come knocking at the locked door wanting in but at the same time to was happy because that meant the two of them wouldn't be forced to explain what was going on. "I'm a little surprised Kol didn't come back last night" Elena told him as she lifted her head to look at Damon.

"He's probably pass out in front of the door" Damon replied as he glanced towards the door. He too was glad Kol had stayed away not only because of his and Elena's busy night but also it put off more people know what they were doing until they were ready to let the others know.

"What are we going to do?" Elena asked him in a troubled tone and then pressed a few kisses to his chest.

Damon lay there for a moment in silence and then as smirk crept onto his face his hands slowly started to down her back and along her thighs teasingly. "I have an idea," he told her.

Feeling his hands on her body and touching her so seductively Elena couldn't help but laugh and cuddle a little closer to him. "That's not what I'm talking about" Elena told him before she leaned up to capture his lips in a tender kiss. When they broke apart they both had smiles on their faces as Elena settled back into her position on his chest while his hands caressed her back. "Okay I have an idea" Damon chimed up.

"That doesn't involve a smart-ass comment?" Elena asked knowing him too well.

Damon stayed silent for a moment that just told Elena that his comment was indeed one she wasn't looking for and couldn't stop from rolling her eyes at him. "Ah, okay I have another idea then" Damon finally said and Elena let out a bit of a giggle. "We still have a long drive a head of us and since we sill be stuck in a van with no where else to go how about we wait until we arrive at the beach house?" Damon suggested.

"Okay" Elena replied as she lifted her head and captured Damon's lips once more. His hand came up from her body to cup her face to deepen the kiss while Elena's hands moved through his hair.

"Beside it's always best to hear bad news when you're lying on a paradise beach" Damon told her.

Elena shook her head and glared at him finding that he was enjoying the idea of destroying Stefan as fun. "And its comments like that I think I'm better off doing it on my own," She told him.

Damon rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "God you are such a control freak" he mumbled.

"I AM NOT A CONTROL FREAK!" Elena snapped at him while Damon ignoring her and flipping them over so that he had her pinned on her back.

"Control freak, stubborn the list goes on" Damon teased in between kisses.

"You want to see me be a control freak? Fine!" she growled and then flipped them back over so that she was now straddling him and pinning his arms over his head. "This time I'm on top!" she growled and Damon didn't dare fight her on that one as she leaned down for a kiss.

"Fine but you're going to have to make this quick" Damon teased, "Or Kol will be banging on the door wanting in" he told her before their lips hungrily found each other.

* * *

Knowing she would have to sneak out before anyone noticed her missing from her own room or caught her in here, Elena reluctantly got out of bed and started searching the room for her pajamas that had been thrown throughout the room. Biting her bottom lip she tried not to stare at Damon who lay on the bed in his full glory with his hand behind his head just watching her. She knew that if she turned to look at him for a second there was a good chance she wouldn't be leaving the room but she knew she had to. With her pajama pants on, she pulled on her tank top and sweater just as Damon was rolling out of bed to find his pants.

He then moved towards the door while Elena hid behind him just in case Kol was up and wouldn't see her. Damon gave Elena a quick glance as she held her breath and then he slowly opened up the door. As it opened he popped his head out to see Kol just as he expected. He was passed out on the floor with his feet out and his upper body leaning to one side as he sat against the wall on the to other side of the hallway. He was still totally out of it as he was snoring away in his definitely uncomfortable sleeping position. "Coast is clear" Damon whispered and with a nodded Elena slipped out of the room and into way. As she came to stand in front of Kol she held her breath as if her breathing might wake him. Tiptoeing passed him she made her way to the girl's room down the hall, as Kol didn't seem to move at all. Turning back she gave Damon a quick smile before she slipped into the girl room and close the door behind her.

Damon smile soon turned to his roommate slouched on the floor and he grabbed a bottle of water by the door. Kneeling down in front of him Damon twisted open the bottle and held it over a sleeping Kol and started to pour a few drops on him. "Wakey, wakey" Damon said with a smirk as Kol started to jolt up away when the water poured over his head.

"SON OF A-" Kol yelled as he jumped up and saw Damon kneeling in front of him with an evil smirk on his face. "YOU'RE AN ASS DAMON!" Kol called out as he hit the water bottle out of Damon's hand and watched it go flying down the hall. Getting up with a sore neck from his spot of the floor he shook his wet hair and glared at his friend whom was the reason he had slept so uncomfortable last night.

"You're being a little over dramatic" Damon said with a laugh as they both walked into their room and Kol collapsed on his bed that although wasn't very comfortable was a lot better then the floor.

"If you don't mind some of us need to sleep" Kol said as he shut tired his eyes wanting to sleep in a bed for a couple hours.

"If it make you feel better I didn't sleep much either" Damon chuckled.

"Screw you" Kol mumbled and then buried his face in his pillow as he passed out once again.

* * *

As everyone started to wake up in the morning, Elena's absence in the girls' room went unnoticed. When she snuck back into the room they were all still asleep so she climbed back into her side of the bed and when Jenna woke up she never suspected a thing.

As everyone was packing up their stuff and bringing their bags into the bar, Damon had gone off with the tow truck to bring the van back into town. Kol reluctantly left the comfort of the bed and had to settle for the couch as they all had to wait until the van could get a new tire. As he collapsed on the couch Bonnie walked over and eyed the rough looking Kol and took a seat on the coffee table. "You look terrible" Bonnie teased.

"My roommate is a slut," Kol complained.

"What?"

"Damon and that Vickie chick were screwing each others brains out all night and I had to sleep out in the hallway," Kol told her as he shut his eyes and curled up on the couch as if he were going to fall back asleep. "Plus I was drunk off my ass I didn't even think to maybe come and sleep on the couch until now!"

"Damon and Vickie? Are you serious?" Bonnie asked him and she didn't sound at all happy about it. "He is suck a jerk and…"

"Hey it's fine, I'm over it" Kol told her although he did fine it a little nice that Bonnie wanted to stand up for him.

"No this isn't about you" Bonnie snapped and then shot off coffee table.

"Oh…. Well that's good" Kol thought as he watched an anger Bonnie storm off and he had no idea why she was getting so upset by Damon and Vickie now.

Jenna was just coming down the hall and practically ran into an angry Bonnie she didn't ever seem to notice that Jenna was there. "Hey, Bonnie" Jenna said but Bonnie just kept on walking like she didn't hear her. "Okay…" Jenna said seeming a little confused as she watched Bonnie head down the hall without even glancing back at her. Shrugging her shoulders Jenna let out a sigh and then made her way over to the table Alaric was sitting at, as he was texting with someone. "Honestly there is definitely some weird stuff going on this everyone," Jenna told him as she took a seat.

"They are a bunch of over emotional 21 year old, everything makes them crazy" Ric answered her with a laugh as he was texting away on his phone.

"You letting Meredith know we'll be in town tonight" Jenna asked.

Alaric gave a nod and set his phone down on the table, "Yeah, apparently there is a party tonight at bar by the beach" Alaric told her as he was getting a little excited about finally being able to meet Meredith after texting and writing to each other for so long.

"Well if everything goes as planned Damon says we should be there late tonight." Jenna told him with a smile. She really hoped that Alaric would be able to meet up with Meredith because she had known how many times they had tried to get together and things never worked out. Although Jenna was glad Alaric came along and was keeping her company after her break up with Logan, she was looking forward to him finally meet the girl of his dreams.

While the two were sitting there, Elena came over carrying her bag and after letting out a tied yawn she dropped her bags at her feet and took a seat next to them. Jenna was eyeing her niece closely who seemed pretty tired for someone who had went to bed before the rest of them. "You okay? How are you tired?" Jenna asked her and took notice of Elena being a little nervous about the question.

"I'm fine" Elena stated with a weak smile to her aunt and to Alaric while running her fingers through her hair and brushing strands behind her ear. She could tell that Jenna wasn't completely buying it but at the same time she wasn't pushing her any further. Biting her bottom lip Elena looked away from her aunt and towards the door just as Damon was walking through it after returning from getting the van. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she stared at him and thought about their night together. Her eyes trailed down that body that was once on top of hers and hers of top of his a number of times last night and early this morning. Not wanting to give anything away she pulled her eyes away from him and stared down at her nervous hands on the table.

He was walking towards them and Elena was doing her best act normal and not give anything away to her aunt that was already a little suspicious of her behavior. Ric interrupted her thoughts as he started talking to Damon. "So what's happening with the van?" he asked him as Damon got a drink from the bar and then took a seat at the table with them.

"It'll be an 30 min or so," Damon answered about them getting the van ready to go with a new tire at the local auto shop.

Jenna watched as Damon took a sip of his drink and she couldn't help but look at it in disgust. "Damon its 9 am! What the hell are you drinking?" she asked him while Damon gave a smile.

"Whiskey, wakes me up" he told her with a laugh. "I kept waking up in the middle of the night," he told her.

At this point Elena had just taken a drink of water from her water bottle and after hearing his statement and knew the real reason he was tried she started to choke. Hitting her chest with her fist Elena tried to stop herself from coughing.

"Oh my gosh are you okay?" Jenna asked as she started to rub her nieces back and help her to calm down.

"Yeah I'm fine" she answered and forced herself not to look at Damon because she knew if she did she would just give everything away on her face. She could feel Damon's eye on her but she wasn't about to cave and look at him knowing exactly what he was thinking.

Before any of them could say anything else Caroline came bouncing over looking pretty bored. Letting out a sigh she took a seat at the table next to Elena with a pouting lip. "So when are we getting out of here? This town still give me the creeps," she said as her body gave a shiver as she looked around at the empty bar of the Inn.

"Soon Blondie, after you cough up the money for that spare tire you left at home" Damon spat at her and Caroline glared at him.

"Rebekah was just as much a part of that as me!" Caroline complained.

"Yeah and she isn't here anymore so that is payment enough" Damon stated.

"You can't be serious?" Caroline said not liking how Damon was looking like he wasn't kidding. "DAMON!" she cried.

"What did you do now Damon?" came Stefan's voice as he joined the group and heard Caroline complaining. When he first spoke Elena felt herself stiffen thinking he somehow knew about her and Damon but once that thought was debunked she realized that he was speaking about Caroline.

"Nothing Blondie is just being over dramatic" Damon stated and then got up from his seat and started to walk away from the table. As he left Elena looked up at him for a second and the two made eye contact before he continued on walking towards the couches where Kol was sleeping. "KOL LETS GO!" Damon yelled and watched as Kol jumped off the couch with a jolt and wondering what the hell was going on. When le looked up to see Damon he started cursing his friend. "Wake up your driving" he told him and Kol just mumbled in response while Damon headed down the hall. Damon just had a smile on his face as he left the group and headed to get his bags from the room. As he walked down the hall he found Bonnie dragging out her bag from her room. "Got all your text books?"

She didn't answer him; instead she tried to walk right passed him as if she didn't hear him. It was obvious she had heard him and Damon stood in her way with a smirk on his face wondering what the hell was wrong with the Brownnoser.

"What's got you all moody?" he asked her.

"You may find it fun to mess with people but I swear Damon if your hurt Elena…"

"What are you blabbering about?" Damon laughed even though Bonnie looked pretty serious.

"I'm talking about YOU! You and Elena making out two nights ago and then suddenly your screwing that girl Vickie!" Bonnie snapped at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't sleep with Vickie" Damon told her but it was obvious that Bonnie didn't believe him.

"Kol told me, so don't lie," Bonnie told him sounding pretty angry. "With everything going on with her and Stefan she doesn't need you leading her on and then tossing her aside when then next bimbo shows up"

"What ever" Damon said as he rolled his eyes. He figured it was best Bonnie did think he slept with Vickie until him and Elena figured things out.

Bonnie was about to say something else to him but their heated conversation was interrupted when Elena came walking around the corner. Her eyes fell upon an angry Bonnie as her eyes her glaring at Damon as if he were the devil. Biting her lip Elena could tell she had definitely interrupted something big and what ever it was it wasn't good. "Hey" she said nervously while they both glanced at her not sure what to do. Clearing her throat Elena took a few steps closer to them as her eyes when from Damon to Bonnie trying to figure out what was going on.

"Look Elena, for your own good I suggest you quit while you ahead "Bonnie told her friend and it made Elena wonder what had happen and what Bonnie knew. "Damn it I forgot something" Bonnie mumbled as she looked at her bags.

Elena was about to vocalize her question when Bonnie just quickly turned on her feet and left the two standing there. Once bonnie was out of sight Elena's eyes turned to look at Damon as they both seem to be wondering if their secret would make it until they got to West Palm Beach.

Bonnie stormed into the hotel room with a huff because she was so angry. She had caught her best friend making out with Mystic Fall's bad boy and someone Elena herself had spent a lot of time arguing with and not getting along. Growing up Bonnie couldn't really think of a time Damon and Elena ever got along. Sure maybe things had gotten a little better between then when Elena's parents died but it didn't take long for the two were bickering about something. When she had first discovered Elena and Damon's secret she wasn't about to make a big fuss about it but after seeing him flirting with Vickie and then apparently sleeping with her; Bonnie didn't want to see her best friend get to far in with Damon only to be hurt and devastated. With a frustrated sigh Bonnie swung open the door to the room and as she stepped into the room she came to a halt. Her eyes fell upon Vickie who was standing in the middle of the room as she was folding up one of the beds. "Oh sorry… I forgot something," Bonnie said quietly as she stared awkwardly at the girl who Damon spent the night screwing while Elena seemed upset.

"I thought you guys would be gone by now" Vickie mumbled.

"No we're waiting to get a new tire for the van" Bonnie told her although figured the conversation would of come up when Damon kicked her out this morning. Vickie just kind of shrugged her shoulders and continued cleaning up the room for the next guest. "Didn't Damon tell you that that was where he was going?" Bonnie asked unsure if she really wanted to know the answer. In fact she knew she didn't want to hear the answer but that didn't stop the question from coming out of her mouth.

"Why would I care what Damon was doing?" Vickie snapped at Bonnie with a look of disgust while Bonnie looked under the bed and found her textbook. "The guy blew me off last night" she added with an annoyed tone but Bonnie was more interested in what she had said.

"He turned you down?" Bonnie asked as she stood back up and was holding her textbook in her arms. She looked both shocked and confused while Vickie just looked pissed off about the whole thing.

When Bonnie left the room she made her way to the bar where the gang was starting to gather their stuff to load into the van that had a new tire. As she slowly entered the room she was so confused as to what the hell had happened the other night. Kol seemed so sure that Damon had slept with Vickie or at least that he was sleeping with someone. Yet if it had been Vickie, why would she deny anything? None of this made sense to her and she wondered what the hell was going on. Standing in the bar she watched as Caroline and Jenna were chatting away while carrying their suitcases out of the hotel, Stefan and Kol were followed not far behind them. She spotted Alaric and a yawning Damon at the bar as the two had one last drink before they hit the road. Her eyes the looked over at Elena as she to let out a yawn and was grabbing her bags to carry them out to the van with a bit of a limp. A yawning Damon and a yawning Elena both looking like that they didn't sleep much the night before. The gears started turning in Bonnie's head as she watched the two, and although the didn't say anything as they left the hotel the two share a quick look and smile before heading to opposite side of the van. Bonnie stood there in shock as her jaw dropped and everything started to come together. Damon wasn't with Vickie last night, but he was with Elena! "OH MY GOD!"

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**Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hey I know, I know I have been MIA for a few weeks but I promise I didn't forget about my stories or gave up on them. Just had a few busy weeks and although I've been writing here and there never was able to finish up a chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to update a little quicker.**_

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**Chapter 13**

"Kol just admit it, we're lost" Damon yelled from the passenger seat while Kol had been driving god knows where for about an hour.

"We're not lost, I have a keen sense of direction" Kol said as he rolled his eyes but the tone in his voice wasn't very convincing to the gang sitting in the back. After getting back on the road things seemed to be going fairly well with time. Driving down through North Carolina, South Carolina and into Georgia traffic wasn't too back. Although about five hours into the drive around the time they reached Savannah Georgia construction was blocking their way.

"Your keen sense of direction got us lost in the woods only two days ago!" Elena snapped from the back.

Stefan had suggested they pull over and possibly find a new route but Kol figured how hard could it be to drive around the construction by taking the back roads. Damon too had voted on pulling over but they were both told to stop backseat driving.

"Kol where the hell are you going?" Alaric yelled.

"I'm taking us all to West Palm Beach? Kol called back.

"Then why are you taking us west?" Damon asked as he stared out the window.

"Seriously Kol you've got us lost" Alaric yelled from the back.

"Come one pull over, this is insane" Damon told him.

"So you're telling us we have been driving the wrong way for about an hour and a half now?" Elena asked from her spot in the very back of the van next to Caroline and Bonnie.

"And he is making it worse by not pulling over!" Alaric yelled again.

"Damn it, things were so much better when you and Alaric hated each other!" Kol said to Damon as he gave up and pulled over to the side of the road while Damon got the map out so they could figure out where the hell Kol was taking them.

Once the van came to a stop, Caroline was quick to clip off her seatbelt and letting out a deep sigh. "Well as you guys fight over where the hell you have taken us, I need to get out of this van that smells like boy!"

"Throw out that reeking perfume you swam in this morning while you're at it," Damon called back as he continued to stare down at the map.

"Shut up Damon!" Caroline said as she rolled her eyes while pushing open the back door so that her and the girls could hop out for some fresh air.

"Why don't you find somewhere to leave that screeching voice of yours" Damon mumbled.

On her way out of the van she reached forward to the passenger seat so that she could slap Damon on the back of the head. Damon's head bobbed forward and he winced in pain and let out a, "Ouch" sound while Caroline left the van with a huff. Elena and Bonnie weren't too far behind as the girls walked along the edge of the road and the green forests of Georgia. "This is insane we are cursed or something!" Caroline called out as she spun around and looked at Elena and Bonnie walking along with her. "We should be enjoying our spring break but instead we are stuck in the middle of nowhere once again!"

"Hey cut Kol some slack, the highway was closed" Bonnie stated as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"And now we are lost!" Caroline yelled all dramatic.

"Look Damon will figure out where we are" Elena assured her friend who was in the middle of a freak out.

"No offence but I'm not trusting Damon, he is just as bad as Kol" Caroline snapped and then stormed off.

Biting her bottom lip Elena stepped back out of Caroline's way as she headed back over towards the van as the guys and Jenna were huddled around the map trying to figure out how to get back on course. Her eyes moved from the back of Caroline's head and over to Damon as him and the others were hunched over the map and pointing at possible roads they could take. Realizing she was staring a little longer then she should, Elena averted her eyes and let out a tired yawn. Looking over at Bonnie who was standing beside her, Elena smiled and then took a couple steps to head back towards the group.

Bonnie didn't miss the long gaze Elena made towards Damon and if she had any doubts about whether or not her and Damon were sneaking around she didn't anymore. As she noticed Elena heading back she knew this might be the only time she would get some alone time with her so quickly grabbed Elena around the arm pulled her friend back so that she could try and understand what the hell she was doing. "Whoa hold on a minute!" Bonnie said as she watched as a weary Elena was turning to look back at her friend.

"What… what's going on?" Elena asked with a stutter.

"Why don't you tell me?" Bonne asked her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know what your talking about" Elena replied shaking her head but at the same time feeling a little uneasy about what her friend thought she knew.

"Oh really?" Bonnie scoffed as she released Elena's arm and crossed her arms over her chest. "How about how you being tired has something to do with the late night visit to test out Damon's magic stick?" she asked and watched as Elena's eyes widen in horror that she had been figured out.

"How did you?" Elena started to stutter as she looked around to see if anyone else would of heard but luckily everyone was still down by the van. "Can you not shout that out?" Elena begged as she pulled her friend a little further away.

Bonnie followed Elena but her eyes never left her friend as she made it pretty obvious that she was indeed right on her suspicions. When they were further away Elena came to a stop and was biting her bottom lip while Bonnie waited for answers.

"Okay we slept together!" Elena spat out and shrugged her shoulders. "A lot" she added with a mumbled.

"And?"

Elena stared at her friend as she tried to find the right words to describe the feelings and emotions that were racing through her mind right now. She licked her lips as her eyes slowly gazed over at Damon as he had his lean body against the front of the van and his arms crossed his chest in his black fitted t-shirt as he was talking to Stefan, and Alaric. His face expression was serious and smoldering while he and the guys were discussing their plan of action. She watched as his fingers tapped against his biceps, the same fingers that had done wonders to her body. Looking back at her friend and glad to see she wasn't going into a sudden fit about how stupid she was being, Elena couldn't help but let out a smirk. "It was amazing Bonnie, I mean I know I should feel guilty about everything because of Stefan but I don't regret it. It was like the beast inside me had been sleeping and now it's awake and hungry and god did it like the food Damon was giving it" she said as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"That good huh?" Bonnie said with a smile.

"I can't explain it, I don't know what the hell I'm doing and I don't care" Elena said as she felt a sense of freedom for the first time in a long time.

"Just be careful" Bonnie told her friend knowing how emotional attached she could get.

With a nod the girls slowly started to head back over to the van just as everyone else seemed to be settled on their direction. With her hands crossed over her chest as she wondered on back Elena could see that Stefan was staring at her and seemed to be waiting for her to close the gap between them. He had a smile on his face as she was getting closer to him and Elena found herself nervously biting her bottom lip as they came face to face. She knew Stefan had hopes of them getting back together right now but a part of her wondered if his sudden change of feelings had to do with the emotional trip they had had so far.

"Everything alright?" Stefan asked her and Elena just gave a nod and gave him a weak smile. It made Elena feel so bad because she knew that when the truth came out about what her and Damon had been doing he would be so crushed and feel so betrayed by her and his brother. "Looks like we know where we're going,

Kol had us heading to Alabama instead of Florida."

With a laugh and shaking her head Elena and Stefan made their way over towards van just as everyone was hopping back inside. Caroline seemed so relieved that they would be getting a move on it finally and was one of the first to hop in the back of the van with Bonnie not far behind her. Slowly as everyone was taking their seats Elena held back a bit and glanced at Damon who was taking over the driving now since it had been hours since his early morning drink. "So are we ever going to make it to West Palm Beach?" Elena teased, as she got closer to Damon who was leaning against the closed driver door with the road map in his hands.

"As long as we keep Kol away from the wheel" he answered back with a smile.

"Hopefully we don't get anymore surprises" Elena replied as she said a silent prayer.

"Don't jinx it," he told her as he turned to put his hand on the door handle to the driver's side door. While his left hand was on the handle his other was at his side and it gently grazed against Elena's for a moment. Their fingers interlinked for a brief moment and neither said a word during this time and their eyes only held a gaze for a quick second so as not to attract attention to them. As Damon pulled the driver side door open their hands broke apart as they both got into the vehicle with everyone else.

"Alright Florida here we come!" Jenna called out as Damon took his seat and inserted the keys into the ignition. The gang in the van started to cheer as they pulled back on the road and headed on back so they would be back on track.

"We will be crossing the state boarder in about 45 minutes, and then be in West Palm Beach in about 5 hours" Damon announced to the eager group.

The group remind quiet for a moment before Alaric started to laugh and shaking his had as he reached forward and slapped Kol on the back of the head. "I can't believe you had us heading towards Alabama!"

"My bad" he replied after his head knocked forward after the slap from Alaric.

* * *

As they crossed over into the sunshine state few hours ago, the vibe in the van was very upbeat as they were getting closer and closer. The girls stated singing songs and whatever came into their head, as the radio was now busted. They weren't about to let that bring them down as the girls started to sing Sweet Caroline and I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles). Kol got right into it as well and had nudged Damon to start singing but he just gave him a "never gonna happen" look.

"Don't waste your time Kol, Damon is too cool to sing" Jenna teased.

"You'll never get me drunk enough to start singing" Damon assured them all.

"I see that as a challenge for the rest of spring break" Elena chirped in with a laugh.

"You'll be on the floor before I even reach my limit" Damon shot back. The gang was laughing and joking around as their spirits were definitely up from what they had been earlier in the day. That was until Damon heard a weird sound coming from the van and the engine was starting to give out. "What the hell?" he said as he put more pressure on the gas paddle but it wasn't doing much. With what little power he had left, Damon was able to get the van to the side of the road just before it stalled.

"What's going on?" Alaric asked as he watched Damon fight with the van to get it to start again.

"I don't know it just stalled."

"Are we out of gas?" Caroline asked from the far back.

"No, it says I have a quarter tank" Damon replied as he shrugged his shoulder.

"Uh-oh" came Kol's voice as he sat in the passenger seat and seemed to be sinking in his seat.

"Uh-Oh?" Damon repeated as he turned to his guilty looking friend who obviously knew something the rest of them didn't. "Oh-oh is never good!" Damon added as he glared at Kol waiting for him to explain what was going on.

Kol bit his bottom lip as he scratched the top of his head, as his look of guilt got even worse. Damon was obviously not in the mood for playing the guessing game and nudged Kol roughly to get him to tell the rest of them what was going on. "The guy I bought it from said it died like once before but it was a year ago" Kol explained.

"DAMN IT KOL" Damon yelled as he slammed his fist against the wheel in frustration before he threw open the door to the van and hopped out. Kol got out as well and as the others sat in the van and they watched as Damon and Kol engaged in a screaming match with each other. Arms were flying all over the place as Damon lay into Kol about how he bought this piece of crap of a van and Kol fought back.

"I said it once I'll say it again, we are cursed" Caroline cried.

"Stop being so over dramatic!" Bonnie mumbled as she snapped off her seatbelt and squeezed her way out of the back of the van so that she could get out. Sliding the door open she hopped out and the others soon followed.

Things were going so well as they were just about 3 hours away from their destination but now they were one again at a halt from getting to where they wanted to be. Not only that but it was also getting dark and now it looked like they wouldn't be making it to West Palm Beach on schedule. Damon and Kol continued their yelling match as it was revealed he bought the van from a guy on Craigslist.

"How can you a complete idiot and not inspect the van before handing over cash! Cheap doesn't mean it would be a great option for driving it from Virginia to Florida!" Damon yelled.

"He said it was running fine for the last year and that he had no problems with it" Kol replied.

"Well the guy is a idiot too because this is a piece of CRAP!" Damon yelled and then kicked the front of the van.

"Where are we exactly?" Elena asked trying to break up the fight and get Damon and Kol to take a breather.

"About 20 minutes from Port Orange" Damon answered.

"This is unbelievable" Alaric complained as he scratched his head and rolled his eyes. "Honestly Kol how could you buy this van without getting it checked out first."

"Shut up Ric!" Kol yelled back.

"Wow shut up Ric? That's the best you got? Maybe if you spend less time making goo-goo eyes with Bonnie your come backs wouldn't suck" Ric snapped in anger.

"Hey!" Bonnie chimed in not happy that she was being into this.

"This coming from the guy who is driving 14 hours to meet a girl he has been chatting with over the Internet for years and has completely unrealistic expectations and doesn't know a good girl is!" Kol yelled as he nudged Alaric.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Alaric snarled.

"I'm saying you won't recognize the perfect girl if she was standing right in front of you!" he yelled back.

"Alright that is enough! Fighting isn't helping!" Jenna yelled as she broke up the fight between Ric and Kol.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him!" Alaric yelled as Jenna was pushing him away from Kol.

"You need to shut up Ric!" Bonnie yelled unhappy that everyone was beating on Kol.

"Bonnie your not helping" Elena said softly to her friend as she tried to pull her away from the fighting ring.

"And neither are you!" Bonnie snapped back at her as she shrugged away from Elena's touch.

"We don't have to walk do we?" Caroline asked not too thrilled about the idea as it was hot sticky and getting darker.

"Stay here for all I care!" Damon snapped at her as he brushed past them all and started walking. He had had enough of listening to them all whine and decided to get a move on it if they had any hope of getting into town before dark.

"Don't be an ass Damon" Stefan chirped up, as his brother was being a little short with everyone when really nobody had done anything on purpose.

"She's been complaining this whole trip and I'm tired out listening to her!" Damon shot back in anger as everyone in the group was getting frustrated with the situation.

"Yeah because you haven't complained once!" Stefan scoffed, "You have made it damn clear you didn't want us here. You too have complained non stop!"

"Yeah until he started sleeping with Elena" Bonnie scoffed without thinking and immediately realized what she had done. Her hands came up to cover her mouth and her eyes widen in shock after what she had just blurted out. Her mind started racing, as she hoped no one had heard her but everyone had gone silent and as she looked around at the group she were all staring back at her. Elena's look was completely horror as she was frozen in one spot staring at her best friend; Damon closed his eyes and was cursing under his breath at her outburst and everyone else looked completely shocked and confused. The look on Stefan's face was one Bonnie would not forget ever as he seemed to be dealing with a flood of emotions from confusion, shock, hurt and devastation. "Oh my God" Bonnie mumbled.

"YOU SLEPT WITH DAMON!" Caroline screeched as she cut through the silence.

Without saying a word a guilty Elena turned on her heels to look over at Stefan who was standing beside Caroline and she could see how devastated he was when Elena didn't deny it.

"Oh my god" Jenna mumbled as she took a step back from the tension filled circled at they stood on the road.

"When the hell was this?" Kol asked as he knew it was a question on everyone's mind since Damon and Elena's troubling relationship was no secret to anyone as they usually never got a long never mind the idea of them getting together.

Nobody answered as Elena's eyes were staring straight at Stefan who was letting this all sink in. The girl he loved, the girl he was with for six years had slept with is brother of all people. He knew they were going through a rough patch and thought that they would be working things out but now as it turned out she was sleeping with his brother this whole time. Feeling totally betrayed by both of them he had to look away before he broke down and started walking in the direction of town.

"Stefan" Elena yelled in desperation and she ran after him. She knew he was angry and she knew he probably had a million questions running through his head. This was not the way she wanted him to find out and she gave Bonnie one last death stare before her and Damon quickened their pace to catch up with Stefan.

"Stefan please" Elena pleaded.

"Look Stefan I know what your thinking and I-" Damon started to say as he chased after his brother. He was in the middle of his sentence when he felt a sudden blow to his face as Stefan's fist made contact with his left eye at full force. He let out a grunt and stumbled backwards as his hand came up to cover his throbbing eye.

"Oh GOD" Elena yelled as she jumped back in shock at seeing the sudden physical expression from Stefan. This was something she had never seen from him before, Stefan was the kind of guy who would never hurt a fly and yet here she witnessed Stefan possibly throwing his first punch ever and it was directed at his brother.

"YOU SLEPT WITH ELENA? Of all people Damon" Stefan yelled at his brother in anger.

"Look I deserved that, I'll let you get one of those" Damon replied as he started to recover and stood back up to face his brother.

"How long?" Stefan spat at them as his eyes moved from Damon to Elena and back to Elena. His face showed how betrayed he felt by the two and how his mind was racing with thoughts of Damon and Elena. "Days, weeks, months? How long have you two been screwing each?"

"God No Stefan it wasn't like that" Elena said as she realized he was thinking she cheated on him. "It happened after we broke up, you know me," Elena told him.

"Do I, because the Elena I knew wouldn't sleep with my brother in the wake of our BREAK UP!" Stefan yelled as he was now furious and could hardly stand the sight of the two of them.

"Wait was that you last night in our room making all that noise?" Kol asked loudly.

"Shut up man!" Damon growled as he pushed Kol.

"My God ELENA!" Caroline whined a she shook her head and grabbed her friend by the arm. "Damon, really Damon?" she said still not really believing it.

"Okay everyone needs to relax" Jenna said as she saw everyone's eyes all full of anger about something.

"Relax? My cold hearted brother slept with my girlfriend!" Stefan yelled in anger as he was pointing his finger at Damon like he was a traitor.

"Ex girlfriend" Damon corrected and although he didn't mean it as a dig his tone made it seem otherwise and the next thing everyone saw was Stefan lunge at Damon with another full blow to the head in anger. Elena had to jump back and get out of the way as the two brothers went at each other's throats as they tackled each other to the ground throwing punches. Watching this Elena was on the verge of tears as she begged them to stop knowing that this was all her fault.

* * *

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	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The walk into town with their suitcases was quiet and full of tension as the gang had to leave the broken down van behind and hope they could get their hands on a rental car in town. Damon was leading the way and he was displaying quite the shiner from his brother from their fight earlier and Stefan had one to match as well. After the cat was out of the bag about Damon and Elena sleeping together an upset Stefan didn't hold back his anger as he lunged at his brother. Damon although held back in the beginning understood his brother was not happy about the situation and allowed him to get a punch in or two before he fought back and fought back hard.

Elena was standing over them telling them to stop but her pleads were ignored as the two fell to the ground and were rolling around with Stefan on top throwing a punch or two before Damon was pushing him off and slammed him to the ground aggressively with some punches. At this point Kol and Alaric had to step in and break the two brothers apart as both wiped away blood from their mouths.

Now as they walked along the road the two stayed as far away from each other as possible. Damon was ahead looking pissed off at pretty much everything and just want this whole trip to be over with.

Behind Damon were Alaric and Jenna as the two seemed to be the only ones on good terms at the moment. Alaric pulled out his phone to check the time and realized he had a message from Meredith about meeting up. Checking his watch he knew they still had a good three hours before they would get to West Palm Beach so his plans of meeting up with her did not seem like it was going to happen. Letting out a sigh he stuffed his phone into his pocket. "Apparently we are missing quite the party," Alaric told Jenna as they two walked along the road together.

"Yeah, well spring break in my sweats and a tub of ice cream is looking pretty good right about now" Jenna stated as she thought about how she came along to have fun and forget about Logan and was instead having to deal with all this drama.

Alaric gave a chuckle and then wrapped an arm around his friend, "Hey as long as I'm around I'm not letting you near the sweats" he told her and Jenna smiled and gave him a nod.

As they walked along Jenna turned her head to look at Elena who was walking behind them and she was so distraught about the situation. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was staring down at her feet. Following the fight Damon took off in front and Stefan held back and Elena felt stuck in the middle as she got stares from her friends. As she was kicking at the stones on the ground she could hear the footsteps behind her quickening to come to walk beside her. Without looking up Elena knew who it was and with the way today was going she was not someone she wanted to deal with. Lifting her head up she looked over at Caroline who was walking beside her and seemed to be eying her closely as if there were some clues as to why her and Damon had slept together.

"I'm not in the mood Caroline" Elena said with a sigh and continued to keep on walking but Caroline kept up with her pace.

"Well tough because I want answers" Caroline said as she took her friends arm.

Elena immediately pulled her arm out of Caroline's grasp and stormed forward. "Look this is none of your business and even though you think everything has to do with you this doesn't. You have no place in this situation so do me a favor and drop it. I don't want to hear your epic Elena and Stefan crap and I sure as hell don't want your opinion about Damon" Elena snapped at her friend.

"Elena…" Caroline said a little taken back by her tone.

"I SAID BACK OFF!" Elena yelled and then picked up her pace to get way from the opinionated blonde. Caroline halted in shock and watched as Elena continued on walking to get way from her.

Bonnie and Kol had to walked around a frozen Caroline as they kept on following behind Elena and the others as they headed into town. Bonnie bit her bottom lip as she past Caroline and then looked up at Elena who was both mad and upset at how things were going and Bonnie knew that this was partly her fault. "This is insane" Bonnie said to Kol as they walked along. "Everything is such a mess," she said with a sigh as she stared at the back of Elena's head. She hadn't said anything to her since the huge blow up with everyone and Bonnie wasn't sure Elena would ever forgive her.

"I still can't believe it, Damon and Elena?" Kol said in a whisper not wanting to start another fight. At this point Kol doubted things could get any worse but he didn't' want to test that theory.

"Well let's hope that the rest of this trip is dull and boring because I think we have had enough surprises" Bonnie told him as her hand slowly interlinked with his as they walked along the road.

Behind them Caroline was now walking beside Stefan who had a matching black eye and pissed off look as his brother who was leading the way into town. Caroline would glance over Stefan and tried to think of what she should say to him since he hadn't said a word since the fight and she was really worried about what was going though his mind.

Caroline had never seen Stefan this way before and she wanted to help him anyway she could. Things between him and Elena had gone from bad to worse in a matter of a day and although she wanted to remain positive that the two of them could make it through this rough patch she wasn't sure if that would happen anytime soon. When Bonnie had revealed a shocking piece of information about the changing relationship between Damon and Elena, Caroline didn't wanted to believe it and thought maybe Bonnie had been mistaken. Yet her hopes had been crushed when neither Damon nor Elena denied the slip of the tongue.

"Give it time Stefan, soon Elena will realize she has made a horrible mistake and you two can work things out" Caroline assured him as the two of them walked side by side.

A brooding Stefan didn't even bother to look up at Caroline and let out an annoyed sigh. He didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment but unfortunately was stuck in a situation where he was forced to stick with the group. He wanted nothing more then to take off and go out on his own but being in the middle of nowhere it wasn't a smart idea. So instead he was stuck following his brother and Elena who he couldn't even stand to look at right now but had no choice. He had also had enough of Caroline talking in his ear about how things would get better and how he would get Elena back. "Just drop it Caroline!" Stefan snapped at her in anger.

"But…"

"Leave it Caroline!" he ordered her and then picked up his pace to make it clear to the nosey blonde that he didn't want to talk right now, especially anything pertaining to Damon and Elena.

Caroline stopped in her tracks for a moment as Stefan continued on walking and not even bothering to look back at her. She shook her head at the mess this trip had become on what should of been a fun spring break getaway. Instead the group was distant from each other everyone mad or avoiding everyone else. She hated it and didn't know what to do to make things go back to the way they were. Before this trip was even suggested, her, Bonnie and Elena were best friends who had no secrets. Stefan and Elena were together and Damon wasn't an obstacle for the couple. Now over just one weekend things were so different that she hardly recognized the group. She just hoped that when they finally did make it to West Palm Beach that things would calm down and everyone would get back to normal before this whole trip was ruined.

No one talked for the remainder of the walk into Port Orange and the gaps between them as they walked got larger and larger. It was getting dark so as Damon lead the way he brought them to a car rental to get the group another car. This left everyone else to awkwardly stand together in the middle of the parking lot and had them all standing beside each other for the first time in 20 minutes since the fight had broken up. Elena stared at the ground and dug her heels into the dirt not daring to look up at anyone. Bonnie had tired to stand beside her best friend but without a word Elena quickly moved away so that she was now standing beside Jenna.

Bonnie bit her lip as she sadly accepted that Elena wasn't ready to talk to her so moved back to standing beside Kol who was scratching his head and watching as Damon negotiated with the employee.

Stefan stayed furthest way from the group and had his back to them wanting nothing more then to be away from all of them. He kicked at the ground in silence and had to give Caroline another warning to leave him alone.

Sensing that the tension in the group wasn't getting any better Ric figured that if something wasn't done then they weren't' all going to make it to West Palm Beach alive. Everyone was pissed off at some other person and this long trip could get even longer if things continued this way. Leaving the awkward group Ric walked over to Damon who was going over the final details of renting a vehicle.

"Almost set" Damon told him when he saw Alaric walking up to him.

Alaric let out a sigh as he stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and looked back over at the group one last time. "Listen Damon, there has been a lot of tension between everyone maybe stuffing us all in one vehicle isn't such a good idea" Alaric suggested.

Damon turned back to look at the group as Stefan was off to the side, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie with their back to each other. Jenna was doing her best to make small talk with Elena but wasn't having much luck. Kol was standing with Bonnie but would every so often glance over at Damon as they waited.

"Yeah you're probably right" Damon said and then turned back to the employee and asked for a second car. Maybe a little space between the group would do them all some good. It was getting dark and everyone was tired from the long day and if they continued the way they were it was only a matter of time before their was another fight between them.

When Damon was handed two keys he and Alaric walked back over to the gang where they were waiting. "Okay, so we have two cars and we will be separate into two cars for the final three hour drive to West Palm Beach" he announced and then handed keys to Alaric.

"I'm with Ric" Stefan called out as he had no intention of being in the same car as Damon.

"Whatever; Stefan, Caroline and Jenna in one car…"

"I'm not going in the same car as Bonnie!" Elena spoke up and watched as the hurt grew on her friend's face.

"Well our car is full" Stefan told her in an angry tone that made Elena look over at him in shock because he had never used such a hatred tone with her before.

"Look Elena you can sit in the front and Bonnie in the back, but we have to get going as it is 9:30pm and we still have a three hour drive ahead of us" Damon told her as they all made their ways over to the cars Damon had rented. Without another word Alaric hopped into the driver seat of the one car with Jenna taking shotgun and Stefan and Caroline sitting in the back. In Damon's car Elena took shotgun while a sad Bonnie sat behind her friend in the backseat with Kol and wondered if Elena would ever forgive her.

As the set off Damon lead the way with Alaric following in the car behind in hopes that they would all make it to West Palm Beach without another obstacle.

As a night storm was moving in at about 12:30 am the cars pulled up to the front of a West Palm Beach house that backed on to the beach and the North Atlantic Ocean. It had been a quiet car ride in both cars as no one dared to be the first to speak. They had finally made it to their destination but by the expressions on their faces you never would of thought any of them wanted to be here just days ago.

The house was a beige Spanish style ranch with an attached double garage on the right side. The front had three large windows with two on the left side of the door and another in between the white front door and white double car garage on the right. Well-kept gardens with red and yellow flowers were under the large windows and also had five palm trees about 20 ft. tall with three on the left and on the right side of the lawn.

Parking the cars on the concrete driveway Damon sat back in his seat and let out a tired sigh. They had finally made it but this was no doubt going to be a very different spring break then they had all expected. The the sound of the engine went dead after Damon turned it off and the droplets of the rain falling on the car was the only thing that interrupted the silence in the car. As they all got out of the car no words were exchanged between any of them, instead they got their suitcases in silence and made their way up to the house to get out of the rain. With the key in his hand Damon lead the way and unlocked the front door so that everyone could scurry in.

Not much had changed over the years since Damon and Stefan were kids as the open family room and kitchen had a large window the length of the room at the back looking out to a beautiful ocean view even if it was raining at this time. Over the year the house had been taken care of by a local friend of the family and it was rented out since the Salvatore family didn't come down that often after Damon and Stefan's parents died.

"There are three bedrooms down the hall," Damon announced as he pointed towards the hallway on the left side of the family room.

No one answered him they just took their suitcases and headed in the direction of the rooms. Stefan lead the way and when he came to the first door her opened it up and shut it behind him so that no one could enter behind him. It was a loud slam of the door and Elena couldn't help but feel bad knowing she was partly to blame for his anger.

Kol, Alaric; although not on speaking terms at the moment took the first door on the right across from the room Stefan claimed. Damon followed in behind them so that he could claim one of the beds and go to sleep so that this terrible day would finally be over. The door at the end of the hallway was left for the girls and as Jenna and Caroline entered the room Bonnie glanced back at Elena who was still standing in the middle of the family room.

"Elena" Bonnie said in a sad tone.

"I'm taking the couch" Elena snapped at her and then set her suitcase by the sofa. As she lay down on the sofa she turned her back to her friend to make it clear she didn't want to talk to her. Giving a sad nod Bonnie picked up her suitcase at her feet and made her way in to the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Nothing more was said between the group and the only thing that could be heard was the rain tapping in the windows. Spring break may have only begun but to some it already felt like an eternity.

* * *

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	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The rain didn't seem to have stopped at all last night and as morning was upon them it showed no sign of stopping. The grey clouds covered the skies and a sun was nowhere in sight. A few rumbled of thunder could be heard filled the cabin but after quite the road trip the group had had, they slept through the storm no problem. The whole night Elena remained on the couch and although it wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep she didn't really want to be in the same room as Bonnie or Caroline right now. She slowly woke up to the sounds on rain droplets tapping on the windows. She started to stretch out on the sofa and rubbed her eyes as she slowly sat up. Still in a bit of a daze she needed a minute to remember where she was as she ran her fingers through her messy bed head hair.

As she let out a yawn, the sound of a doorknob turning down the hall caught her attention. Biting her lips she wondering if she should pretend to still be sleeping so as not having to deal with the conversation she knew would be coming at some point today. A conversation that she knew she couldn't hide from especially if this weather continued to be terrible and rainy. As she heard a door open Elena hesitated for a moment and then she saw Damon stumble out of the bedroom with his own bedhead.

The two made eye contact across the room not sure what to say or do. Scratching his head Damon slowly started to walk into the room and took notice that Elena seemed to have slept out here all night. "That couch definitely can't be comfortable," he said to her as he made his way over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of the bourbon he had brought up.

"A lot more comfortable then being in there" Elena answered as she motioned to the bedroom with the girls by nodding her head. Damon gave a nod understanding her reasoning as he poured himself a glass of bourbon. "Isn't it a bit early for the hard stuff?"

"Not if the rain keeps up and we are all just waiting for the next argument to break up," Damon told her as he made his way over to take a seat on the couch next to her while letting out a groan and squinting his bruised eye.

As Damon took a seat next to her Elena was able to get a good look at Damon's eye for the first time really and gritted her teeth as she saw how painful it looked. Seeing her face expression Damon just shrugged his shoulders and gave her a look that meant it wasn't so bad. "It looks worse then it really is" Damon assured her although she didn't look to convinced by his claim.

"You should put some ice on it" Elena said softly to him as her delicate fingers came up to graze across the swollen eye. Damon was unable to say anything when her fingers touched his skin and instead just sat there and allowed her to inspect it. After a moment Elena was up off the couch and moving to the kitchen to get some ice.

"Really I'm fine" Damon called to her but Elena wasn't listening to him as she grabbed a washcloth and then opened up the freezer to get some ice.

When Elena returned to her spot on the couch she sat facing Damon and pulled her feet under her body. Damon took a big gulp of his bourbon before Elena reached forward and pressed the cold iced cloth to his eyebrow. Damon let out a groan of pain although he did seem to be trying to hold back as much he could and not complain from what Elena could tell. They sat in silence as Elena moved the cloth across his brow and then over to the corner of his eye. For the most part she tried not to make eye contact with him but suddenly the pull of his steel blue eyes became too much and they drew her in. As chocolate eyes met ocean blue the cloth of ice was soon forgotten and their lips looked so tempting to the other. Elena tried to fight it but her eyes lowered to his lips as Damon moved in.

At the touch of his lips on hers, it was all over and anything she was trying to fight was hopeless. Her hands came up to cup his face as his tongue found hers in the kiss. It felt like it had been way too long since the last time her lips enjoyed the touch of his and it was so addicting. Damon's hands moved up her thighs and then around her waist as she leaned into his and let her own hands find his hair. Lost in each other they seem to be unaware of what was going on around them until they heard a loud slam of a door and then Stefan standing there glaring at the two of them.

Elena immediately pulled away and stared at Stefan as if she had been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. "Stefan" Elena said in a whisper as she backed away from Damon and ran her fingers through her hair. Damon leaned forward on his knees and stared down at the floor knowing this wasn't going to go well.

"Oh please don't mind me," Stefan snarled at them as he walked past the two and made his way to the kitchen.

Damon could see how terrible Elena felt for Stefan and he too couldn't stand to see his brother this mad at him. Biting his lip he let out a sigh and got to his feet and walked over to the kitchen where Stefan was getting a drink. "Stefan we need to talk" Damon told him as he tried to stop his brother from going back to his room.

"No the time for talking should have been before you started sleeping with Elena" Stefan told him in anger.

"Look we screwed up" Damon told him.

"No Damon you don't screw up, you just screw! I honestly don't see why I was so shocked, you sleep with anything that moves but I guess I just assumed that my brother wouldn't let one of his flings be someone I care about!" Stefan yelled at him. "But then again look what you did to Lexi" Stefan threw at him and saw how angry it made Damon.

"This is not the same thing as Lexi" Damon snapped back.

"You two weren't exactly friends and one night you got bored and decided to sleep with her knowing she had a crush on you."

"That was two years ago Stefan, she's over it and so should you" Damon told him.

"Over it? Damon when was the last time she came to visit? She isn't over it she was humiliated by you" Stefan yelled.

"This is not the same thing," Damon yelled back.

"And you Elena, what the hell are you doing? You of all people have seen what Damon has done how many people he has hurt and you jump into bed with him anyway? Was what you and I had so boring that you decided to try being one of Damon's mindless floozies," He yelled at her.

"No Stefan" Elena said as she was starting to get pretty upset about the conversations that was definitely not going to remain between the three of them as their yelling got the attention of the other house guest as they all appeared in the room. Letting out a sigh and brushing back her hair, Elena cursed at the lack of privacy they had.

Caroline and Bonnie entered the room both looking tired but like their slumber had been interrupted. "What's going on?" Caroline asked as her eyes moved from Elena and over to Stefan as he looked pissed off about the whole thing.

"He's going to hurt you Elena, its who he is and you of all people have seen how little Damon cares for people" Stefan told her and it wasn't a lie. Biting her bottom lip Elena knew that Stefan wasn't just throwing out lies because Damon was a womanizer and his reputation of throwing them aside like you would a pair of socks was completely true. She had witnessed first hand the hearts Damon had broken over the years and yet at the same time something about him and her seemed completely different from the other girls. Stefan didn't wait for her to respond, he just picked up a bottle of water and pushed his way passed the on looking crowd and made his way to the bedroom and slammed the door again.

Elena bowed her head covered her eyes with her hands as he dark locks fell in front of her face. Bonnie and Caroline had yet to take their eyes off her as she stood there silently. Everyone was silent in the room except of the sound of the rain was the only thing breaking the silence. The rain seem to be showing no signs of slowing down any time soon and that meant that for today everyone was stuck in the beach house and no where else to go.

As the day went on the awkward silence between everyone was making for a very long afternoon and the rain continued to keep them all captive inside. Stefan had yet to resurface from his room since the morning and the others had barely said a word to each other. In the middle of the living room by the coffee table Caroline and Bonnie were painting their toe nails so that once the rain finally stopped they would be ready for the beach. As Caroline brushed the pink nail polish on her toenails she looked over at Elena sitting with a blanket around her while she sat by the back window and staring out at the beach. She had been sitting there for about an hour now and Caroline couldn't help but wonder what her friend was thinking about.

Over in the kitchen Damon was playing a card game with Kol, Alaric and Jenna and throughout the game not one word was said within the group and their eyes hardly ever left their cards to look at the others at the table. Jenna started tapping her nails on the table and it echoed throughout the room. Her eyes looked up at her niece sitting by the window alone after she was refusing to talk to anyone.

"So Meredith is blowing me off tonight," Alaric said finally breaking the silence and catching Jenna's attention.

"Why I thought her and her friends were going to meet us at the bar on the beach" Jenna said knowing how excited Alaric was about him finally being able to meet Meredith.

"She was but her friends wanted to go to this yacht party they were invited to" Alaric said sadly.

"A night with spoiled jack-asses with a boat, sounds like a lame party" Damon mumbled.

"This coming from a rich kid?" Jenna said as she looked at Damon.

"Yeah it's not like you live in a shack," Kol laughed as he shuffled his cards.

"Yeah but I'm not about to show it off and invite a bunch of nobodies over at once" Damon stated.

"Yeah because god forbid idiots spilt anything on your rugs" Jenna teases.

"Hey they are Persian rugs" Damon replied.

"Yeah god forbid anyone spilt anything on his rugs" Jenna teased.

"He has enough time kicking his bed buddies out never mind a whole house full of people," Kol added to the conversation but loud enough so that everyone including Elena heard him.

Damon bit his bottom lip and while everyone was glancing away from him, his eyes slowly turned to look at Elena while she was nervously pulling at the blanket around and staring out at the wet rainy beach scene out her window. As he turned back to the group at the table he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I won't have that problem anymore" he said quietly to them and watched their reactions.

Kol seemed surprised and that the womanizer may not be planning screw a new girl every night during the trip. Alaric kind of smiled as he glanced at Elena and back at Damon knowing that maybe finally Damon was growing up. Jenna on the other hand also looked between the two and saw a whole different outcome and one she didn't like at all. "No Damon she is my niece, not some random flake you pick up from god knows where" Jenna told him in a quiet but firm voice so that no one other then those at the table could hear.

"Maybe I'm ready for a change," Damon suggested as he shuffled his cards and gave Jenna a smirk even if she didn't look amused at all.

Shaking her head Jenna gave Damon an evil glare and shook her head at him as she set down her cards down and got ready to leave the table. "Not with my niece you are not" Jenna told him firmly and then got up to go and see how Elena was doing as she sat all by herself.

As Jenna made her way over to where Elena was sitting she gave her niece a smile knowing that she was very troubled at this time. Sitting next to her she wrapped an arm around Elena and then rested her head on her shoulder as they stared out the window at the miserable day that they were experiencing both inside and outside.

"You okay" Jenna asked her.

Elena gave a weak smile and shook her head as she turned to look at her aunt. "Stefan hates me, Caroline thinks I'm the worlds most horrible person, Bonnie is a big mouth and Damon… Damon is" Elena started to say as she tried to find the words.

"Trust me Elena for your own good forget about Damon" Jenna told her as she had a really good feeling where Elena was going with this. "You know very well what Damon is like and he is not worth the trouble."

Elena looked at her aunt without saying a word and she could see just how much Jenna was against the idea of her and Damon getting together. As much as Elena wanted to be mad at Jenna for butting in she knew that Jenna knew about Damon's past just as much as she did. "I'm just looking out for you honey" Jenna added

"I know" Elena said softly as she bit her bottom lip and then looked over at Damon sitting with Kol and Ric as they finished their game of cards. She was so confused about what to do, what was right, what felt right and what the decision would do to the people they both cared about.

* * *

As the hours went by the weather didn't let up and the group was still stuck inside the beach house. The door to Stefan's room hadn't been open all day and it got to the point many were wondering if he was still in there.

"Stefan come on, open the door!" Damon called as he knocked the bedroom door.

"He isn't going to want to talk to you" Caroline snapped at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Damon ignored her and tried again knocking and pleading for his brother to come out but it was no use. There was no way Stefan was going to want to talk to Damon or even Elena right now no matter how badly the two wanted to.

"Look I think you two have done enough" Caroline snapped and then pushed Damon away from the door. "Stefan its Caroline" she said with a knock on the door. Silence followed and everyone in the hallway waited to see if Stefan would respond.

"Stefan answer or I'll break down the door!" Damon yelled.

"That isn't helping Damon" Elena told him.

"Well what else should I do?" Damon snapped at her and while his tone may of came off as if he were angry with her he was really just frustrated with the fact he had hurt his brother in one of the worst possible ways.

His tone didn't go unnoticed by Caroline who stood in front of Stefan's door while her eyes were eyeing both Damon and Elena, as they seemed like they weren't getting along. Deep down Caroline hoped that this was a sign that Elena was coming to her senses about Damon and would soon be begging Stefan to take her back. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as she heard a clip on the doorknob as the door unlocked. They didn't hear Stefan say anything but as Caroline looked back at the group standing there waiting she put her hand slowly on the doorknob and twisted it open. "I'm coming in," Caroline said out loud so Stefan could hear and then opened up the door to sneak inside while the other had to wait in the hall.

When Caroline stepped inside she found Stefan leaning with his one arm above his head as he had it resting against sliding glass door leading to the balcony. His head turned to look at Caroline for only a brief second and she believed it was just to make sure she wasn't someone he didn't want to talk to. He was staring out of the glass door as he stared at the monsoon torrential downpour and the palm trees blowing in the strong winds. He didn't say a word to her as she stood there for a moment and it got to the point Caroline realized that he wasn't going to acknowledge her anymore. As the silence continued Caroline realized that she would have to make the first move or they would remain n this silence.

"We hadn't heard from you all day and we were starting to worry" Caroline said cutting up the silence and taking the few steps to stand beside Stefan and gaze out the window.

"I'm not really in the socializing mood," Stefan told her without turning to look at her.

"Don't worry I get it" Caroline told him as she took a seat on the bed and let out a sigh. She had such high hopes for this week but from the minute this trip had started things were going wrong left and right. As she looked around the bedroom Caroline could tell that the room hadn't really changed much since Stefan was a kid but that also had to do with the fact they didn't come down that often. The one thing she did see was a picture of him and Elena framed on the nightstand. The photo was obviously taken back from when they were in high school, probably during the first summer that they had been dating, as they looked so young and were all smiles. Stefan was smiling straight into the camera while Elena had her arms wrapped around him and was giving him a kiss on the cheek while she too was holding back a smile. They were so happy then and now it was like another life as the two were broken up, confused and heartbroken. "It won't last, she'll come to her senses" Caroline assured him.

"I honestly don't care anymore" Stefan told her without turning around and breaking his stare out at the water down the beach. The rain left water drop streaks on the glass window making it harder to see but Stefan's mind was going a hundred miles a minute thinking about Elena that he hardly noticed that it was hard to see out of.

"You don't mean that" Caroline said as she stood up and came to look out the window as the rain seemed to finally coming to a stop. "You love her and despite the confusion and insane issues Elena is having she loves you. You will get her back and this Damon phase will be just be a bad dream."

"She slept with my brother Caroline, this isn't some random guy I don't know" Stefan responded. "I know Damon and I know what he is like and… God as much as I'm mad at her I'm more scared that he will hurt her when she discovers he's not the boyfriend type."

"Nobody said they were going to start dating" Caroline offered.

"Elena isn't the type to just sleep around for fun, Damon yes but Elena will want a relationship" Stefan replied because he knew Elena and one nightstands weren't her thing.

"Well after having you as a boyfriend there is no way she will stick with Damon. You are caring, selfless and always there for her; Damon isn't any or those and she will learn that quickly."

"Can we just drop this" Stefan begged as he let out a sigh and turned around to pace the room.

Caroline let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked out the glass door as the sun was starting to peak through the gray clouds. As she stood there she notice Damon stepping out of the house as he walked along the back deck and was staring out at the water. A moment later she saw Elena walking out with her hands stuffed in her pockets and her head down. She didn't look happy and by the looks of it neither did Damon. "Well they may be over before they even start" Caroline informed him.

* * *

Damon was standing on the deck looking out at the beach watching as the rain cloud finally started to move on and let the sun shine over the water. As soon as the rain was gone Damon was out of the tensioned filled beach house so that he could think and not have anyone nagging in his ear. Everyone seemed to be against the idea of him and Elena without even giving him and Elena the chance to figure things out for themselves.

As he heard the back door to the beach house open and close from behind him Damon let out a frustrated sigh. He wanted to be alone and it seemed that everyone in that damn house as against him being alone for even a second. "Damn it is it too hard to get a second…" Damon started to say as he turned and then suddenly stopped talking as he saw Elena standing there. He was about to say something to her but after a few seconds of nothing leaving his mouth he gave up and turned away from her and looked out at the ocean.

Elena bit her bottom lip as she kicked and dug her feet into the deck. She kept her head down when Damon turned away from her and silently stood their as the wind was blowing her hair back. "Some trip this has turned out to be" Elena said with a nervous laugh. She looked up at Damon as she saw him just nod as he too thought back to everything that had happened so far and their very opinionated friends. "Look everything they say doesn't matter to me" Elena assured him because she knew he was aware they were telling her that he was bad for her.

"Doesn't mean their not true" Damon answered as he sadly looked at her. "It's no secret I'm not the good guy Elena," he added as he looked back out at the ocean. "For one I slept with my brothers girl" he said with a sigh as he thought about the hurt on Stefan's face when he discovered the truth.

"Timing could have been better I know" Elena stated as she came to stand next to him but was sure not to touch him because she knew that once she did she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off him.

Damon shook and bowed his head in sadness as he let out a deep breath. "He's my brother Elena, he's all I have left" Damon told her doing his best to keep it together.

"I don't' want to hurt him either" Elena said as she too was holding back tears.

At this point Damon turned to look at her and she too looked at him with matching sad eyes knowing full well what was coming. She did her best not to let the tears fall as their watery eyes connected thinking of everything they they could be but never could. Damon's hand came up to brush away her hair that was blowing in the wind as he tried to find the words to say to her. "The night we had together was amazing and one of the only times I could just be myself" he told her holding back tears.

"But no matter how we feel nothing more can ever happen…" Elena finished sadly as she knew exactly what he was going to say.

Damon bit his lip before he leaned forward and pressed her lips to her forehead in a tender kiss. He held it moment a little longer as he closer his eyes and inhaled her scent knowing this was the last time he may ever get to be this close to her. Elena too closed her eyes but wasn't able to stop a few tears that fell down her cheek. "I'm sorry" Damon whispered to her in a heartbreaking voice.

"I am too" Elena responded just before Damon pulled away and without another word turned and walked down the beach leaving a heartbroken Elena standing there unable to hold back her tears anymore and just broke down. She wasn't sure what had come over her but losing Damon was one of the worst feeling she had experienced in a long time and her hands came up to cover her face as she cried for a possible love she would never get the chance to watch grow.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The next two days of their trip was not much better as the tension between everyone was still there and the Florida weather was not as it usually was as the rain continued. This was definitely not the spring break that any of them had in mind but here they were and after another two days of being all cramped in that small beach house things had to change or this spring break was going to ruin friendships left and right.

For the majority of the last two days Damon and Elena didn't say more then three words to each other and were never in the same room alone. The two would share secret glances in the others direction but would always looked away before the other could look back. The rest of the houseguests in the house also never brought up what happen between Damon and Elena as they could see the growing tension between them and it was obvious that what ever they were was over.

As Elena walked over to look out the big window in the living room she saw the sun shining bright and not a cloud in the sky for the first time since they had arrived at West Palm Beach. Needing to get out of this house even if it was just for a couple hours she had on her chocolate brown bikini. With her sunglasses on and her purple beach towel in hand, Elena picked up her beach bag and was all set for a day in the sun.

"It's about time there was sun in the sunshine state," Jenna said as she too came dressed in her swimsuit and sunglasses.

"Yep and there is no coming back until we are all nice and tan" Caroline told them as she too was prepared as well. "I'm not coming back until I don't blend in with the white sand," she added as Bonnie came out of the bedroom as well.

"How about Lobster red?" Bonnie teased but Caroline just rolled her eyes.

Elena just gave them all a smile as she pushed open the back door looking on to the beach and her and the girls headed on out. Over the last two days Elena had got herself to forgive Bonnie for spilling her and Damon's secret because it was obvious she felt horrible about it. At first Elena just needed time to herself but she soon came around and girls found a way to get past it. As for Caroline and her Team Stefan t-shirt Elena and her decided to call a truce and they both promised not to talk about it anymore. What happened between Elena and Stefan would remain between Elena and Stefan.

So here they were now, back to getting along and they all decided to have a girl's day at the beach. While Elena really only wanted to get some peace, she had a feeling the reason Bonnie and Caroline were coming was because they knew things with her and Damon had hit a brick wall and they weren't speaking. Caroline had mentioned something about it being for the best but Elena hadn't really been listening to her friend as she watched Damon take off with Alaric in the early morning to do who knows what.

"Come on Elena, let's spend some time out in the sun and forget about all the drama for a few hours" Jenna told her niece as she wrapped an arm around her as they walked.

"Yeah okay" Elena answered with a slight smile and then her and the girls headed out and down to the beach. Unfortunately as the girls lay on the beach taking in the sun Elena found her mind wondering to Damon, his eyes, his touch and his smile. She also thought about how she felt being with him and how it was a new kind of happy she hadn't felt before. Her mind then wondered to Stefan and the hurt in his eyes when he learned the truth about her and Damon. One of the last things Elena ever wanted to do was hurt Stefan and yet seeing the pain in his eyes haunted her. Stefan had been there for her through everything, they were best friends and that last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt him the way she did. She hadn't been able to talk to Stefan since everything blew up and a part of her didn't blame him for not wanting to talk to her.

"Things will get better" Jenna told her as she saw how stressed Elena seemed.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about it" Elena mumbled without looking at her aunt as the hot sun shined on her skin.

"I'm just saying because I know that's what you're thinking about" Jenna stated as she sat up to apply some suntan lotion.

"Trust me you have all made your opinions known and you will be happy to know your concerns are no longer an issue" Elena stated annoyed that her quiet time in the sun was being turned into a dating lecture.

"Better to end it now before you get hurt" Caroline said joining in on the conversation that Elena didn't want to have.

"Yeah thank god you helped me avoid the heart break and tears I would endure" Elena replied as she sat up on her towel. Taking off her sunglasses she gave them a quick glance and then ran off towards the blue water and dove in, no longer interested in talking to them about Damon or Stefan for that matter.

"She knows we are only looking out for her right?" Caroline asked Jenna as she watched Elena cool off in the water.

"Doesn't mean she wants to hear it" Jenna replied as she watched her niece in the ocean swimming around and ignoring them.

* * *

Following their day out in the sun the girls returned to the beach house and found Stefan had resurfaced from his bedroom and was making something to eat. While Caroline happily went over to talk to him, Elena held back and ended up just standing at the kitchen table nervously flipping through whatever was on the table to avoid looking up at Stefan.

"All right everyone, time to mix things up in this depressing beach house" came Kol's voice as he clapped his hands and entered the room. "Big beach party happening at Castaway Tiki Bar and we are all going" Kol informed them.

"I'll pass" Stefan told him as he picked up his lunch off the counter and started to make his way back to his room.

"Nope, no more moody Stefan" Kol told him as he jumped in front of Stefan to stop him from leaving. "You are coming you are getting drunk and maybe even meet a smoking hot party girl," Kol told him.

"Kol leave him alone," Caroline snapped.

"Look we are on vacation! If all you wanted to do was hide away in your room you could of done that at home. I want one night, one night where relationship crap is put aside and we all get drunk"

"Classy Kol" Caroline responded.

"Trust me darling for tonight there will be no classy Caroline, just tequila drunk Caroline who picks fights with all the other blondes in the bar."

"You know what I'm in" Stefan said.

"YES!" Kol cheered.

"I don't see why Damon should be the only one to have fun like no one else matters," Stefan said as he took a glance in Elena's direction.

"Well one step at a time Stefan, you may not be ready to party with the big boys" Kol teased knowing Stefan was a goody goody unlike him and Damon.

"We'll see about that" Stefan stated and then moved to take a seat at the table across from Elena to eat his sandwich without even looking up at her once.

"Where are Damon and Ric anyway?" Bonnie asked noticing they were still missing from this morning.

"Beats me, the new bromance duo didn't invite me to go along with them" Kol stated sounding a little jealous of Damon and Alaric's friendship. The beginning of this trip the two hated each other's guts and now they were new partners in crime.

"Aw someone's being left out?" Jenna teased. "Need some cheering up?"

"Yea what do you have in mind?" Kol said with a wink.

The girls all rolled their eyes at Kol's attempt to sweet talk them. "Never going to happen Kol" Jenna said as she hit him on the back of the head.

"The day is still young and tequila hasn't been put into play yet," Kol teased back.

"Alright I think it's time to change the subject," Bonnie stated quickly.

Elena and the girls laughed as they watched the sweet interaction between Kol and Bonnie as they hugged and playfully flirted with each other. It was nice to see that during this very interesting trip that at least two people seemed to be happy. Bonnie and Kol were totally smiting with each other and lucky for them nobody seemed to be on their case about their relationship. The two of them could be together without feeling guilty, without hurting someone they cared about and without everyone turning on them.

Her thoughts were broken when they all heard the front door of the beach house open and then within seconds Damon and Alaric walked in the door. Once they were in the room everyone stopped what they were doing to look at them. Bonnie and Kol stopped their cuteness and Elena's smile faded and she looked down at the counter away from Damon.

"Where were you two?" Jenna asked as she pulled out a tub of ice cream out of the freezer and moved over to share it with Elena by handing her a spoon. She held a scooped of the chocolate ice cream and then licked the spoon before handing it off to Elena so that she could get a scoop.

With a smile Damon waved tickets in the air and then set them down on the table in front of Stefan so that everyone could see them. "Plane tickets, I figured one ride down here was enough" Damon announced.

"Nice, when do we leave?" Kol asked as he picked up one of the plane tickets.

"In two days" Damon told him as he moved to take a seat on the couch and lift his feet onto the coffee table.

"Awesome we will be back for the Mystic Falls flag football game" Kol said happily.

"Yeah where we will whoop your butts!" Jenna said with a smile as she took back the tub of ice cream from Elena.

"Oh I don't think so," Alaric said with a laugh as he walked over to Jenna and tried to get the ice cream away from her. With a giggle Jenna did her best to keep it away from him as she ran around the kitchen table with Alaric hot on her heels trying to get the chocolate ice cream. "Come on hand it over!" Ric laughed as he chased after her and Elena couldn't help but laugh as she moved out of their way as they ran past her.

Another couple of friends who seemed to be getting really close over this trip was Jenna and Alaric and although the two seemed to be just friends, Elena couldn't help but notice that the two were very close and especially more since Jenna had broken up with Logan. While Alaric was in a somewhat relationship with Meredith it was no secret that him and Jenna had a very unique relationship.

Taking her eyes off Jenna and Alaric playfully fighting over the ice cream, Elena's eyes ended up falling on Damon accidently and he as staring at her. Yet as soon as she was staring at him he quickly looked away as if he didn't trust himself if he stared at her for too long. It was so frustrating that some people could be so happy together like Bonnie and Kol or comfortable like Jenna and Ric but her and Damon had to stay away from each other. It wasn't fair.

* * *

"Okay come on another round of drinks!" Caroline called out at the bartender as the girls all gathered around to refill their drinks.

"We need to get you to loosen up," Jenna said as she stood behind Elena and had her hands on her niece's shoulders. "We are on vacation and spring break is all about having fun," she told her.

"I am having fun" Elena lied.

"Come on Elena," Bonnie said as she slid a drink down the counter so that it was in front of Elena. "The vacation may not of started out the way you wanted but now its time to forget and have some fun!"

With a nod Elena picked up the glass of god knows what and chugged it back as the girls around her cheered and clapped in delight. It was time to let go and let loose Elena thought as she had spent too much time being depressed and upset about everything going on with Damon and Stefan. For tonight she didn't want to deal with them or her feelings and instead she wanted to have some fun and live a little.

"Drunk Elena here she comes!" Caroline cheered as she ordered another round for the group.

A few more drinks later and Elena was up and dancing without a care in the world with the girls as they sang along to the songs. The girls danced around the tiki beach bar with their hands up and taking turns spinning each other around. Elena was having fun, and this was a first it what felt like a long time on this trip so she kept on drinking and dancing.

Across the bar the guys were sitting at the counter having a few drinks and Kol was doing his best to get Stefan to loosen up as he ordered him a number of drinks that Stefan had never heard of before. "Alright man here you go an Irish Car Bomb" Kol told him as he set a drink in front of Stefan.

"Damn Kol are you trying to get him pissed drunk and on the floor?" Ric asked as him and Damon sat next to them drinking their bourbon.

"I can handle it" Stefan answered as he picked the drink up and tossed it back and felt the instant burning in his throat.

"Easy Stefan" Damon said as he saw how quickly he finished the drink that contained whisky, baileys and Guinness. Stefan wasn't much of a drinker at home and while he seemed to be intending to have fun tonight Damon wasn't about to watch his little brother drink more then he could handle.

"Nice!" Kol said as he held out his hand to get a high five.

"I'm good" Stefan said slowly as the alcohol was starting to really take effect. "I'm fine," he repeated.

"Well keep in mind Kol that if he is passed out later you have to carry him back to the beach house" Ric said as he chugged back his drink and then got up to go and dance with Jenna and the girls.

"Give the boy some credit, he can handle it" Kol laughed. "Alright we will have three Adios Mother F*&%ers!" Kol called out as the bartender came to take their drinks.

"NO, Kol no!" Damon said as he shook his head.

"Why what is a Adios Mother F*&%er?" Stefan asked as he saw the concern growing on Damon's face as the drinks were brought over to them.

"It's nothing" Kol answered him.

"Its Vodka, rum, tequila, gin, blue Curacao, sour mix and 7Up" Damon informed his brother. "Stefan you will spend the night with your head in the toilet" Damon warned him.

Stefan was already drunk and as he stared at the liquid poison in front of him, he hesitated a bit before picking it up and getting ready to take the drink. "How bad can it really be?" Stefan said out loud.

"It's not bad at all," Kol said as he held up his to clink it with Stefan's. "Bottoms up brother" he said and then chugged his back.

"Stefan don't be stupid" Damon told him as he watched his brother getting ready to take the drink.

Ignoring his brother Stefan tipped the glass back and let the mixture of alcohol touch his lips and then slowly go down his throat. He was only about a sip in when he suddenly had to pull the glass away and felt like he was going to be sick.

"That's it your done" Damon announced and reached for Stefan's glass and finished it himself so that Stefan wasn't tempted by it.

Surprisingly Stefan didn't fight his brother on it, instead he let him take the drink and finish it for him while he set his head down on the bar counter and let out a groan. He had reached his limit and he was not feeling good at all.

"Nice job Kol" Damon said to his friend who just shrugged his shoulder and then got up to go and dance with the others. Bouncing over to them he wrapped his arms around Bonnie and danced close to her as they all moved to the music.

Shaking his head Damon looked over at a very intoxicated Stefan and ordered a glass of water for him. "Here drink this it will help a bit," Damon told him as Stefan let out a groan and accepted the water.

"I'm suppose to hate you right now" Stefan reminded him.

"How about you focus on not getting alcohol poison tonight and go back to hating me tomorrow" Damon suggested and Stefan just let out a groan in response so Damon took that as a yes.

"Hey" came a voice as a cute brunette came over to the counter to stand beside Damon as she leaned over the bar counter and did her best to get Damon's attention by pushing her breast forward and practically in his face.

Across the bar as the girls were dancing Elena noticed the pretty girl talking to Damon. While dancing around with Caroline she did her best to not let herself look over at the two talking as the girl seemed to be hanging all over him. Jealousy boiled inside her as she saw the two of them laughing and the girl was obviously interested in Damon as she had a huge stupid smile on her face while she flicked her hair back. She was only talking to Damon for a few minutes before she walked away but it seemed like an eternity to Elena even though she was trying not to watch. She couldn't take her eyes off the two of them and after the woman left she had a sigh of relief. She was then quickly pulled away from her thoughts as Caroline came over and grabbed her by the arm as they danced and she had to force herself to look away from him.

Next to them Jenna and Ric were dancing up a storm as the laughed at each others ridiculous dance moves such as the robot, shopping cart, chicken dance and Egyptian walk to name a few. Jenna found herself laughing more then she had done in a long time as Ric spun her around and was singing loudly to the songs. With his hands on her hips they started moving together with her back against chest. With his face pressed against her cheek they both had smiles on their faces as they whispered to each other. Ric's hands slowly started to move up and down her thighs until she felt a sudden vibrate on the back of her legs.

"Sorry that's my phone" Ric said as he pulled away and then reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. Turning to look at him Jenna bit her bottom lip as she waited to see who was calling him even though she had a pretty good idea who it was. "It's Meredith, I should take this" Ric told her.

Biting her bottom lip, Jenna ran her fingers through her hair and then gave him a nod and a forced smile. "Yeah go ahead" Jenna said and then watched as Ric took off out onto the beach to answers his call from Meredith. Once Ric had left the dance floor, suddenly all the fun she was having disappeared and Jenna didn't really want to be there anymore.

"Jenna what's wrong?" Bonnie asked as she was dancing with Kol.

"Nothing" Jenna said as she gave her a smile and shook her head. "Listen I think I'm just going to go back to the beach house" Jenna told them.

"What? No come on!" Caroline said as she came bouncing over while pulling Elena along with her.

"Look you guys have fun I'll see you later" she told them and then quickly left the dance floor. She knew that there was a good chance that Meredith was going to be coming to see Ric and she didn't really want to be there during that time so figured it was best if she just left.

"Where you off to?" Damon asked as Jenna came and picked up her purse that was hanging on the back of Damon's chair.

"I'll see you back at the beach house" Jenna told him.

"Where's Ric?" Damon asked.

"Meredith called," she told him and although she didn't want to go into detail about it she could see that Damon kind of got what she was saying and didn't make her explain anything else. Before leaving she took a glance over at Stefan who still seemed to be half dead. "Is he?"

"He'll be fine" Damon told her with a smile as she looked over at his brother who still had his head down. "I'll tell Ric you left," he added.

"It doesn't matter" she told him and then with her purse swung over her shoulder she set off out of the bar and down the street to the beach house.

About ten minutes later Alaric walked back into the bar and went straight to the dance floor but he found himself standing there looking around. He saw Elena Caroline still dancing and Bonnie and Kol making out in the corner but the person he was looking for was no where to be seen. Pressing his lips together he looked over at Damon and Stefan at the bar as Stefan was finishing another glass of water. As he walked over to them Damon had just ordered another drink and was taking a sip as Ric slipped onto the stool next tom him. "Hey where is Jenna?" he asked.

Damon turned to look at Ric as he set down his glass and gave his friend a smirk. "You are an idiot" Damon told him and watched, as Ric seemed so confused and unsure of what he was going on about

"What?" Ric asked.

"You're an idiot," Stefan repeated as his head was still pressed against the counter.

"You got a call from Meredith and Jenna took off" Damon told him, "I'm sure you can figure out the why." Alaric sat there for a moment starring straight ahead as he took it all in.

Without another word Ric was off the bar stool and out of the bar as fast as he could as he ran down the dark streets of the beach town heading back to the house. He had taken the call from Meredith and while he had come down here in hopes of finally meeting her things had changed. Running up the steps of the beach house Ric was out of breath but he didn't care and reached out to knock on the door.

Waiting a moment he looked around the quiet street and tried to peak inside to see if there was any movement. Knocking again he leaned his hands against the doorframe praying that Jenna hadn't gone to sleep yet. Just before he was about to give up the doorknob started to jiggle and finally opened up. Looking up, Alaric stared at Jenna, as she appeared at the door in her pajamas, obviously she was getting ready for bed.

"Ric? What are you doing here?" Jenna asked knowing that he should be with Meredith.

Alaric stared at her for a moment in silence and without saying a word to her he stepped forward and cupped her face as his lips pressed against hers. She was caught off guard at first but as her eyes slowly closed and she responded to the kiss, she brought her hands up to touch his and leaned into him.

When they pulled apart Jenna found herself speechless at to what had brought this on seeing how in love Alaric was in Meredith. "What are you doing?" Jenna asked him, as their eyes never left each other.

"I stopped being stupid" Alaric answered and then his lips were back on hers. This time they were more desperate in their kiss. They stumbled back into the beach house and after closing the door Alaric picked Jenna up and carried her to the bedroom without breaking from the passionate kiss.

* * *

During the night at the bar Damon had a number of woman come up to him hoping to get his number and maybe a little more. Elena for the most part sat a few seats away from him and had to watch him talk to these woman who were all over him. Whenever a new girl came over to talk to him she could only roll her eyes at the lame flirting and the girls not so subtle attempt to get Damon to leave with them. It was disgusting and every time they tried get him to go home with them she had this growing fear that he may say yes to one of these bimbos.

Having drank her way through at least a bottle of vodka on her own Elena decided it was time to leave. Caroline had tried to get her to stick around since Bonnie and Kol had taken off down the beach but Elena couldn't really handle watching Damon any longer. Saying bye to Caroline she left while Damon was talking to yet another blonde. She couldn't take it anymore and she had to get out of there so she could breath. Walking back to the beach house Elena had her arms crossed over her chest and made her way up the pathway to the house.

"I wouldn't go in there it I were you" came Damon's voice as he came running up behind her.

Hearing his voice Elena turned to look at him a little shocked that he had followed her but also wondered what he was talking about. She just stood there and waited for Damon to catch up to her. He had his hands in his pockets as he climbed the steps of the beach house and came to stand beside Elena without saying another word.

"Why shouldn't I go inside?" Elena asked him as her and Damon both took a seat on the steps in front of the house.

"Alaric and Jenna are in there," Damon told her.

"So?"

"They are _in there_…" Damon repeated but this time his tone was very suggestive and he gave her a wink.

As Elena put two and two together in her head her eyes widen in realization and she immediately shut her eye and looked disgusted by the thought and buried her face in her hands. "Oh god no, that's my aunt" Elena told him.

Damon just laughed as he watched Elena getting pretty grossed out by the images in her head and he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close. "Sorry I figured this would be less traumatizing" he told her and Elena gave a nod. The two sat there in a comfortable silence a little longer as Damon had his arm around her. It felt good; she felt so comfortable with him and didn't want to leave his arms. Yet they soon found themselves wanting more and knew that they couldn't give in to those temptations. Damon reluctantly pulled his arm away from her and forced himself to put some space between them. Now what started off as them being so comfortable with each other and like it was something they do all the time they were back to awkward silence and trying to figure out what to do next.

"Is it always going to be like this?" Elena asked sadly without turning to look at the man who had her heart.

"I hope not" Damon responded quietly and they both sadly sat there on the front steps of the beach house looking up at the sky.

* * *

Stefan gulped back one last water as he sat up at the bar looking around as many started to call it an night. Licking his lips he saw a few of the girls Damon had been talking to earlier they were pretty hot and the fact that his brother never took any of them up on their offer to go home with them was quite a surprise. For years he had watch his brother go through women like changing socks. Stefan had thought Damon was over exaggerating how easy woman came on to him but tonight proved that many women were pretty forward with him. Yet no matter how gorgeous they were here in West Palm Beach he turned them down and went home alone.

"So hard partying is not your thing huh" came Caroline's voice as she slipped on to the bar stool next to him. It was obvious that she had a bit too much to drink herself but was at the state of being a happy drunk.

"Yeah, there is a reason I left the hard partying to Damon" Stefan said with a chuckle. "Yet I must say until I agreed to let Kol give me drinks I had never heard of before things were going great.

"You did seem to be having some fun and that's good," Caroline told him. "Things have sucked for you on this trip so letting loose a bit did you some good" she added.

"I guess I'm just coming to terms with things being over between me and Elena" Stefan told her as he gave a slight sigh. "Its time I let her go" Stefan said and although Caroline wanted him to fight for her she also didn't want to see either of them getting hurt anymore.

'Things will get better" Caroline told him. "They may be awkward for the time being but a time will come when begin in the same room won't feel like a pain in your heart."

"Fake it until you make it" Stefan responded.

"Yeah" she said with a giggled.

Stefan gave a nod and then pulled out his wallet to pay for his drinks. Setting the bills down he turned to Carline with a smile, "ready to go?"

"Yeah I think we have had enough fun for one night" she answered and they both got up from their seats. Both stumbled a bit as they headed out of the bar and on to the beach and with a laugh reached out for each other so they could use each other for support. "I can't remember the last time I was this drunk," Stefan told her with a laugh as they stumbled together along the beach.

"I'm thinking prom," Caroline told him as she thought about it. "You had the flu on your 21st birthday" she added.

"Right, worst 21st birthday ever" Stefan said.

"What are you talking about I made you a cake," Caroline laughed.

"That I didn't get to eat," he reminded her.

"Right" Caroline said with a realization and let out a giggle. "I totally should of made you soup instead."

Before Stefan could respond he heard Caroline yelp and then she was tripping over her feet and pulling him along with her to the sandy ground. Both were laughing and tried to get back up but that may have been a bit easier a few drinks ago. Instead they continued to laugh, as their attempts to stand back up were unsuccessful. "I can't breath," Caroline cried as she was laughing so hard and needed to catch her breath.

"Then stop laughing" Stefan told her, as he too couldn't stop laughing.

"I can't I can't" she laughed as she just fell back on the sand.

"Shhh!" Stefan responded with a whisper, "You are going to wake everyone up" he told her with a chuckle.

"Who? We are on a deserted beach," Caroline reminded him.

"The crabs you are going to wake up the crabs" he said and this only made Caroline laugh even more.

"Stop it your making me laugh more!"

"Hey you are the giggly drunk not me" Stefan answered.

"I'm not a giggly drunk," Caroline snapped back.

"Yea-huh" he snapped back.

Both stayed silent for about two seconds before the burst back into laughter and both having no idea why. Instead they just fell back on the sand beside each other looking up at the sky as they started to calm down. Looking up at the stars their heads were just inches apart and they had no problem hearing the other breathing as it started to go silent again. All they could hear were the waves coming in behind them on this starry night and everything was so peaceful.

"I guess this trip hasn't been so bad," Stefan said as he broke the silence.

"Just wait until morning and you might feel different" Caroline giggled as she turned to look at him and their noses were just an inch apart.

"I don't think so," he answered as his eyes met hers. The silence took over again but they never broke eye contact as both seemed to be breathing a little faster as well as their hearts beating quicker then usual. No words were spoken as slowly they moved in closer and closer until Stefan's lips touched Caroline's.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

On their last night in West Palm Beach the group gathered around a big bonfire on the beach. Laughing and telling stories, Jenna had helped Alaric and Kol finish a couple bottles of vodka. Seeing the smiles on people's faces was something that at the beginning on this trip seemed so unlikely. They spent so much of the start of this trip fighting over where they were going, how to get there and the crappy van that ended up breaking down before they could reach their destination. Now things seemed so much better with the group as they huddled around the fire to enjoy their final night of spring break.

Kol and Bonnie got up to dance around the fire as they all laughed and then Kol reached for Elena's hand to spin her around and make a smile creep across her face.

"Did you know they have a beach volleyball tournament down here" Alaric said in a drunken slur. "It was so fascinating, ladies you should started a team"

"Is that why you guys took so long to come back from the beach this afternoon? You all got hypnotized by the bikini beach volleyball?" Jenna asked with a giggle as she was snuggled in close to Alaric and resting her head on his shoulders.

"Bikinis? Did you guys notice any bikinis?" Ric asked as he tried to play dump as if that had nothing to do with why he was late.

"It was educational, we learned the rules of beach volleyball" Kol chirped with a smile.

"I'm sure," Bonnie said as she rolled her eyes.

"It's true, Kol got front row seats for a woman's anatomy lesson" Damon teased with smirk and then watched as Kol's eyes widen as the secret was revealed and Bonnie was laughing and freaking out at him.

"I KNEW IT!" Bonnie laughed. Everyone else around the bon fire was laughing hysterically as poor Kol was getting thrown to the sharks. Elena was sitting across from Damon and found herself laughing and even making a bit of eye contact with him before turning back to Kol and Bonnie.

"It's not like it sounds, I barely saw anything" Kol tried to lie. "DAMON!" Kol growled while everyone else laughed.

"Come on how much did you see?" Bonnie asked as she put Kol on the spot.

"It was nothing, small hardly anything, okay it was a boob," Kol said as he rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a very supported bikini top," he added with a laugh. Bonnie's jaw dropped and she pretended to be all shocked and mad at her boyfriend who obviously didn't do anything on purpose. Stefan and Damon sat there laughing, as Kol seemed to have dug himself a hole even deeper.

"Somebody's in trouble" Caroline teased as she watched the cute interaction between Kol and Bonnie as they hugged and flirted with each other.

"God you guys are so mushy, I need another drink" Elena said as she got up from her seat so she could head back up to the house and get some more drinks.

"I'll come with you" Caroline stated as she got up from her spot and followed behind Elena as they headed up to the house. The girls walked up to the house in silence and as they reached the back door Elena swung it opened and headed for the bar. "Not sure what we haven't drank yet," Elena said a she searched for drinks.

"Look we can have ten year old tequila" Caroline responded.

"No thank you" Elena laughed.

"Probably a safe decision" Caroline giggled as she leaned over the bar as Elena rummaged underneath.

"God I think we have some alcoholics among us," Elena said a she found bottle after bottle empty.

"Well this is a Salvatore beach house, I know of at least one" Caroline stated.

"Damon's not an alcoholic, he's not even drinking tonight" Elena stated as she stood up when she found half a bottle of vodka.

"Yeah there is a shocker," Caroline stated.

"Come on let's go" Elena told her not wanting to discuss it anymore.

Caroline was standing there watching Elena getting ready to go back and join the others but as she bit her lip Caroline knew this might be the only time she would be able to talk to Elena alone. Since her kiss with Stefan, Caroline had been beating herself up over it because he was her best friend's ex boyfriend. There was a girl code where you didn't hook up with your best friend's ex and even though she never slept with Stefan she did go so far as to make out with him down on that beach that night. "Elena wait!" Caroline called back.

Whipping her head back around Elena looked at Caroline with a puzzling look as she wondered what was going on and why Caroline looked so guilty. Actually over the past two days Caroline hadn't really said much to her and instead seemed to be avoiding her. It didn't really bother Elena that much considering that when Caroline was around her it usually involved her preaching about how she was should be with Stefan. Now as Elena looked at Caroline she could see that something was definitely up, she looked guilty and like she had been hiding something from her that she need to get off her chest now. "What is it Caroline?" Elena asked as she set the bottle of vodka down on the table and stared at her friend and giving Caroline her full attention.

Nervously Caroline started to play with her curly blonde hair and started chewing on her lip as she tried to find the words to say. The silence was starting to make Elena nervous as she watched Caroline contemplating what she was going to say next. "What's going on?"

"You know I love you right, that you are my best friend and I would never do anything to break that trust you have with me right?" Caroline said as her eyes looked at Elena full of guilt. "You are my best friend and the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you" she added.

"Yes I know" Elena said still not sure where this was all going.

"I kissed Stefan" Caroline blurted out in the mist of tears falling down her face as she watched Elena's face go from confusion to shock and then anger.

"You kissed…"

"I'm so sorry we were both drunk and I know that is no excuse but Elena please you need to believe me" Caroline said as she started blabbering on.

"I can't believe this," Elena said as she looked away from her friend and started to process everything. "So what you make me look like the bad guy for breaking up with Stefan because he is suppose to be my epic love and less then a week you are kissing him?"

"I know I'm a terrible person and what I did was wrong," Caroline said.

Elena brushed her straight long hair back as she turned away from Caroline as she processed everything. This whole week Caroline had been a Stelena cheerleader and doing everything to get her to get back together with Stefan but turns around and kisses him. "Does this mean you will stop nagging me?" Elena asked as she looked at her friend who was doing her best not to break down and cry.

"What?"

"Will you get off my back?" Elena asked. She hated everyone especially Caroline piling on the guilt when it came to her and Damon or her and Stefan. They all had no problem reminding her of what she had done no matter how many times she had told them she got it. Sure she was mad at Caroline for kissing Stefan but at the same time he was her ex, she broke up wit him for a reason and now didn't get a say in who he kissed.

"So your not mad?"

"Yeah I'm mad Caroline but I want you to stop nagging me about Stefan and now clearly you can't think you can talk me into getting back together with Stefan now" Elena told her doing her best not to start a big fight with her. "Look I'm going back outside" Elena told her as picked up the vodka and made her way over to the back door and pushed it open.

"Elena!" Caroline called back to her but Elena just ignored her and continued down the beach and over to the bonfire.

Elena stormed down to the beach in huff with alcohol in hand, and with every step her anger for Caroline grew even more and to the point where she really didn't want to be around everyone anyway. As she reached the bonfire she sat on the far side and away from everyone as she gulped back some vodka and 7Up and staying silent from the rest of the group.

"You okay?" Jenna asked as she was snuggled beside Ric but was watching her niece from across the bonfire.

"Yeah I'm fine" Elena answered as she took another drink and didn't make eye contact with anyone else in the group. Damon was staring at her and by watching saw that something was obviously bothering her and while he wanted to hold her and comfort her, he couldn't without hurting his brother who was sitting just a few feet away. Stefan was also staring at her and could see that something in her face expression had changed since she had come back from the beach house. Looking back he didn't see Caroline coming back from the beach house yet and his mind started to rapidly think about how maybe Caroline had told Elena what had happened between them.

"I think we are going to call it a night," Bonnie said as she linked her hand with Kol's while they stood up from the circle around the bonfire. Bonnie gave a yawn to make it seem like she was tired but to everyone sitting around the fire it wasn't hard to see the giddy smiles on her and Kol's faces showed that sleeping was far from their minds.

Everyone said goodnight to them as the two scurried towards the beach house and letting the others know it would probably be best if they stayed away from beach house for a while. As they took off Damon was poking a stick at the fire to make it grow a bit more as the others sat there silently.

"I can't believe this week is pretty much over" Jenna said with a sigh as she rested her head on Ric's shoulder. This trip hadn't really been one of relaxing on the beach and sun tanning as they had hoped but it was definitely an interesting one. The last couple of days had been more to what they had wanted from the trip as they tanned on the beach, played in the waves and partied and drank at the local beach bars with a number of other spring breakers.

Things between Jenna and Alaric had been going really well as they had been inseparable from each other for the last couple of days. Alaric had finally gave up on Meredith as the two were not trying that hard to get together and figured that maybe things were better left as just being a internet relationship that was never going to go anywhere. So Jenna and Alaric were able to give into the feelings that they had never really explored. Jenna couldn't remember the last time she was this happy with someone even Logan, everything about Alaric was what Jenna wanted in a partner and they started off as great friends first.

"Hey where's Caroline?" Stefan asked as he looked around and didn't see her coming back from the beach house yet.

"Maybe you should go and see?" Elena snapped at him and her tone gave Stefan then confirmation that she did know about what happened between him and Caroline. As much as he didn't want Elena to find out he also hoped she would and maybe be a little jealous about it.

Elena and Stefan made eye contact for a moment before Elena looked away and started digging her feet into the dirt on the ground. Everyone else in in the circle including Damon took notice of the look between Stefan and Elena that seemed to show that silently they both knew what the other was thinking about and it is wasn't anything good.

Without saying anything Stefan got up from his seat and started to make his way towards the beach house in search of Caroline. It was obvious that Elena knew what had happened but the question was how much did she know and what exactly had Caroline told her. He need to know what both of them had said and what Elena was thinking but given the strain of their relationship right now talking to Elena wasn't much of an option. Elena didn't even bother to look at him as he left and instead kept her gaze on the fire in the center of the circle.

"What's going on?" Jenna asked as she looked over at Elena after noticing the tension between her and Stefan. Sure the two had just broken up a week ago but they had been pretty silent towards each other but now something had changed between them.

"Nothing everything is fine" Elena told her with a forced smile but no one sitting around the fire believed her.

"Well we have an early flight tomorrow so I think we should call it a night" Alaric told the remaining people sitting around the fire but neither Damon nor Elena moved or made any response to his comment.

"Have a goodnight," Jenna said to both Damon and Elena although she was staring at Elena but never got a response from her. She knew something was bothering her niece but Elena didn't seem to want to talk about it no matter how she tried to get her to talk to her. Hand in hand as Alaric and Jenna left the bonfire and this left Damon and Elena sitting on opposite side of each other but acting as if the other wasn't there.

The two stayed in silence for a good ten minutes not saying a word to each other or even looked at each other. It was obvious that both wanted to say something to the other but at the same time they knew what would happen if they both gave in. Without a word Damon got up from his seat around the bonfire and started to walk away without even a glance or a word to Elena. She hated it; she hated how their relationship had changed so sudden. Before this trip they bickered over everything, they teased each other and knew just how to press each other's buttons. When they came on this trip that side of them didn't go away but there was a new attraction to each other, a passion and connection they started to explore. Now there was nothing, they didn't talk, joke around, and didn't tease each other or nothing. They were like strangers now afraid to get close to each other in the event their actions could hurt Stefan.

She watched Damon headed up the beach towards the house and she felt the anger growing inside of her. Why was everyone else able to be happy and be with the one they wanted but her and Damon were forced to stay away from each other. How did things between them change so drastically to the point where they couldn't be alone together? She was so tired of watching everyone else work towards their happy ending and yet she was forced to be miserable for the rest of this trip. After putting the fire out Elena chanced after Damon up to the beach house with a determination to let out all her frustration she had been holding in for days.

Following him into the beach house she let the back door slam on her way in and didn't seem to care whom it woke up. "Is this how it is going to be from now on?" Elena snapped at him as Damon stood in the center of the room and was turning around to stare at her. She was on the verge of tears but doing everything to hold back as she was finally going to get things off her chest. "You know out of everyone I always expected things with you wouldn't get awkward," Elena told him.

"Elena…" Damon said with a sad sigh.

"NO!" Elena yelled in anger. "When my parents died and I was that poor little orphan girl everyone tip toed around and acted like I was some helpless flower. Every time they looked at me all I saw was how sad they felt for me, but you Damon you didn't change and when we talked or teased each other it was the only time I was able to get my mind off what was going on" Elena told him and she watched as Damon too remembered how he helped her deal with the death of her parents.

They had known each other since they would play in the sandbox together, or more like Damon running through her sand castles. No even as children they bickered and did what they could to get on the others nerves. When they were young Elena was the little girl with cudies who always followed the boys around whether they wanted her there or not. Yet cudies or not the Salvatore boys and even her little brother Jeremy would stand up for her if anyone other then them made her cry.

"Its not fair" Elena cried as the tears started to stream down her face. There was still a big gap between the two of them and as Damon saw Elena wrap her arms around herself he wanted nothing more then to pull her into his arms and assure her everything would be okay. "Why does everyone else get to be happy? Jenna and Alaric, Bonnie and Kol, god even Stefan and Caroline are hooking up" Elena yelled in between her tears.

"What?"

"And you know what I don't care!" she told him as she didn't answered him and just wiped away her tears from her cheek. "I got no hold of Stefan anymore so he is free to do what he wants but why do I have to feel so guilty about what I want then?" she asked him but Damon just looked away from her.

"I was happy, I was truly happy for the first time in a long time the night we were together" She explained. "Its just not fair" she cried uncontrollably and brought her hands up to cover her face as she broke down.

Not being able to stand there anymore Damon closed the gap between them in the living room and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She cries got louder as her face buried into his chest while she clung to him. She was crying so hard that her body was shaking against his body. It was not fair how things were turning out and how everyone else seemed to be heading towards a happy ending but not her and Damon.

"None of this is fair" Elena cried.

"I know" Damon whispered in her ear as he brushed her hair down her back while she was still clinging to him. He hated to see her cry, especially when there was nothing he could do for her. Pulling his head back a little he cupped her face and then gently leaned in to press his lips against hers. At the first touch of their lips the desire between them heated up with huge sparks and their passion grew more and more. The kiss was so desperate and one that the needed to make up for days without being able to touch and explore the other's mouth. They didn't even want to come up for air as they clung to each other and tried to make up for lost time.

Elena's hands came up to run through Damon's hair while his hands slowly moved down her body and pulled her as close to his body as he could. They were so hungry for this kiss and nothing else seemed to matter at this point, they just wanted time to stop and allow them to have this moment of weakness and desire. The kiss was so incredibly and it seemed that the longer they went without tasting each other the better and more desperate the kisses got.

Yet as the guilt started to seep in, Damon pulled away and let out a tired and sad sigh. His forehead rested against hers as the two caught their breath. The reality sunk in about what they were doing and both knew they had to stop. "We can't, he's my brother" Damon told her painfully. They couldn't do this; they couldn't let this happen every time they were alone together.

"I know" Elena responded with watery eyes as her forehead rested against his as she felt his fingers running through her hair.

After a long sigh, Damon gave her one last kiss on the forehead, "I can't, we can't" he whispered and then pulled away from her before she could say anything else. He left her there standing in the middle of the room as he stormed out of the house as quickly as possible without looking back at her. This left Elena alone as she burst into tears realizing that what ever she felt for Damon was never going to be able to be given the chance to grow. She fell to her knees and curled into a ball on the floor with her face buried in her hands.

Her cries didn't stop and while most people in the house were fast asleep right now and unaware of what was going on, one person wasn't. While Damon and Elena stormed into house so consumed in their own problems that they didn't' take a good look at their surroundings because this whole time Stefan was hiding in the kitchen. He had made his way to the kitchen when he needed a drink of water and as he was closing the fridge he saw Elena coming storming in after Damon obviously upset about something. He was about to step out and let them know he was there but he could see Elena was crying and her conversation with Damon was heated. So he stayed quiet and listened as his brother and his ex girlfriend let out their frustration.

When Damon stormed out of the house Elena was left crying uncontrollably on the floor looking so heart broken. He had never seen this side of Elena before as she cried on the floor after Damon had left. It was obvious to him now that she had deep feeling for his brother and that it wasn't just about sex. The way they were together was so different then how things were with him and Elena. Staying silent Stefan watched as Elena wiped away her tears and then got back onto her feet and made her way to the bedroom.

Biting his bottom lip Stefan stepped out of the shadows and tried to understand everything he had seen. The pain on Elena's face broke his heart because he knew he was the reason for it. He looked towards the closed bedroom door and he contemplated going to see if Elena was alright and try and offer some comfort, but before he could take another step towards the bedroom door he heard a bang coming from outside. His head spun around towards the front door that Damon had ran out of just minutes ago and wondered what was going on. Walking out the front door he saw the light on in the shed next to the house and quietly Stefan made walked towards the light and then peaked his head into the shed and saw his brother standing still with his back to him.

He had his hands on the top of his head, as he seemed to be trying to control his frustration. He was breathing heavily and fallen firewood logs were scattered on the ground around him, which explained the bang. Stefan watched as his brother seemed so be so troubled and he too was fighting his feelings he had for Elena. He walked away from her because of him and Stefan started to really hate himself for causing two people he cared about so much pain. The frustration became too much for Damon again and he started kicking and knocking the tower of firewood over from where it sat in the back of the shed. Knocking them over he didn't seem to care how much noise he made or who he woke up. He was so angry at the situation and having to let Elena, go.

Seeing his brother like this was so foreign to Stefan because for years Damon didn't let anyone get close to him. He was a womanizer and for a long time that was the kind of life he wanted. It was one without feelings, one where he was in control and decided when things came to an end with a woman. This side of Damon was so different and it was now becoming so obvious to Stefan as he watched his heartbroken brother. It was becoming clear to Stefan as he watched his brother, he and Elena weren't just fooling around; they were in love.

* * *

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	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

With their spring break coming to an end it was time to pack up and head for the airport for their flight home. Things had become quite hectic in the morning as everyone was rushing around packing their suitcases and trying to be sure nothing was forgotten. The girls moved around the bedroom collecting their stuff rather silent and Jenna and Bonnie couldn't help but notice the distance Caroline and Elena had been since the other night. The two were standing back-to-back packing up their bags but seemed miles away from each other.

"Everything okay with you two?" Jenna asked as she watched the two best friends act like the other wasn't there.

"Fine" they both answered without even acknowledging the other. They both looked up at Jenna from their bag but while their mouths said fine, their body language told a different story.

Elena seemed to be aware that Jenna wasn't very satisfied with that response but before Jenna could say anything else to them, Elena zipped up her bag and as she tossed it over her shoulder and walked out of the room.

This left Jenna and Bonnie standing there, knowing that something had definitely happened between the two friends. Caroline wouldn't make eye contact with the girls as she continued to pack up her bag and tried to ignore the stares from Bonnie and Jenna.

This only confirmed to Jenna that something was going on or had happened and it was definitely more then Caroline trying to get Elena to go back to Stefan. Elena looked pissed off about something and Caroline look as if she was guilty of something. Jenna also saw that the girls seemed very distant at the bonfire last night so it seemed like it had to be a big issue that was coming between the two friends.

"Caroline what's going on?" Bonnie asked as she moved closer to Caroline and trying to find out what had happened.

"Nothing everything is fine" Caroline assured her but not very well.

Jenna was standing there rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest as she shook her head. "God that word _fine_ has been used all week it has no meaning anymore. Elena has used it as he answer to everything so what the hell is going on?" Jenna asked again but more firmly.

Caroline turned to look at Jenna and the guilt just grew even more on her face. She seemed to be on the verge of tears as she looked at Jenna as if pleading her not to ripe her apart for what she had done because she herself knew what she had done was unforgivable.

"What is it?" Jenna repeated. She wasn't about to let Caroline leave without informing her about what the hell was going on.

"I kissed Stefan" Caroline confessed as she started to cry while Jenna and Bonnie's jaw dropped at the new piece of information that was being revealed.

Jenna was staring at Caroline as if she thought that she might of heard her wrong when she said she had kissed Stefan but when the tears were pouring down her face she knew she had heard right. Without saying a single word to Caroline, Jenna ran out of the room after Elena now that she knew what was wrong.

"Jenna!" Caroline cried out as Jenna ran out of the room but Jenna didn't turn back to answerer her.

* * *

Elena brought her suitcase to the front door and set it down on the floor along with everyone else's. Soon they would be heading for the airport and this spring break trip would be over. Her beach days had met their limit and she was definitely ready to go home and put this spring break trip behind her. With a sigh she peaked her head out the front window to see that that Damon and Ric were packing up the cars for the trip to the airport.

Turning around Elena almost ran into Stefan as he was bringing his bag out to set it with the others. The two made eye contact and the tension between the two was so thick it could be cut with a knife. They both were very uncomfortable, as they stood alone together in a room for the first time probably all week. As Stefan staring at her he could tell that she was very much aware of what had happened between him and Caroline.

"Elena…" Stefan said with a shaky voice.

"We don't have to talk about it" Elena stated as she shook her head and tried to move away from him.

"Elena please, what happened with Caroline shouldn't of happened, I'm sorry" Stefan told her.

Elena stopped in her tracks at hearing Stefan apologizing to her about kissing Caroline. Biting his bottom lip Elena turned back to look at Stefan and saw the guilt on his face. He had spent a good portion of this trip mad at her for sleeping with Damon and may have kissed Caroline to get back at her, even though her sleeping with Damon had nothing to do with Stefan at all. "It is none of my business" Elena responded honestly and as if somehow she forgave him for his action and wasn't going to hold it against him. As he stood there watching her he knew it was time he forgive her and finally let her go.

"ELENA!" came Jenna's voice as she came running out of the bedroom after hearing Caroline confess to kissing Stefan. Without saying another word Jenna was running over to Elena and wrapping her arms around her.

"Jenna I'm fine" Elena said as she had a pretty good idea that her aunt had found out about Stefan kissing Caroline.

"Fine? How can you be fine? Stefan kissed your best friend!" Jenna stated as she glared over at Stefan.

"Can we just drop it please?" Elena begged. She had spent enough time going over Stefan kissing Caroline just as much time as she had having to discuss why she slept with Damon. Right now all she wanted to do was get this vacation over with and forget about everything because it was just too painful.

"Okay who is ready to get out of here?" came Damon's voice as he walked into the house grabbing more of the suitcases to load of the cars. At first Elena wasn't sure if Damon had heard their conversation but as he was staring at Stefan it was obvious he was aware of what happened.

"I am" Elena stated as she quickly moved away from Jenna and Stefan to help Damon and Alaric pack up the cars as everyone else slowly followed behind with their bags.

Sadly Stefan stood there watching as Elena, the girl he loved to see smile was so miserable. She looked like she hadn't slept at all this trip and he was starting to forget how she looked when she was happy. As much as he wanted to think they were happy before they left for spring break he knew she wasn't or at least she wasn't truly happy. As much as he didn't want to believe it he didn't make her happy anymore. Picking up his bag he followed everyone out of the house doing his best to avoid Caroline and the evil glares he was getting from Jenna as she stood by the other car most likely filling Alaric in on his and Caroline kissing.

"Okay we need a picture!" Kol called out as everyone was trying to figure out who would ride in which car and not kill each other on the way to the airport.

"A group shot of how much we all hate each other now? No thanks" Damon stated as he pulled the keys out of his pocket and made his way to the driver seat of one of the cars.

"Okay maybe not today or maybe not any time this year will we find something to laugh about on this trip but there day will come when looking back on this will be a riot" Kol told them all as every single on of them seemed to have a frown on their face.

"One picture" Alaric agreed while the others just moans and groaned.

Damon hopped out of the driver seat and followed the others as Bonnie got her camera all set up for the group shot in front of the beach house. Pulling at the ends of her hair Elena moved to stand beside Jenna and Alaric on the far left. On the other side of Alaric was Caroline with Kol in the middle of her and Stefan and Damon on the far end. As Bonnie set the camera up she looked at the faced through the lens of the camera and she saw a group of people who had been through so much in a period of a week. Some found love and were happy, some saw love fade away or friendships being tested and some found love and were now being kept apart. This was not the spring break they had hoped for but there was hope that something good would soon come out of it for everyone. "Okay here we go" Bonnie called to them as she set the camera to a timer and quickly ran to get in the shot as she wrapped her arms around Kol with Stefan on the other side of her. At the count of three everyone smiled, or faked a smile and the flash took the shot.

* * *

The ride to the airport was a quite one as everyone thought about how much things had changed or for some how changes had to happen for people to be happy again. With Damon and Alaric driving the cars the rest split up between the two cars with Jenna, Elena and Bonnie riding with Alaric while Damon had Kol, Caroline and Stefan with him. Each car drove to the airport with awkward silence and no one wanting to be the first to break the silence.

From an outsider that saw the group walking through the airport or going through security you would have had no idea that the whole group knew each other. Everyone seemed to be avoiding eye contact. None of them had smiles on their faces as they made their way to the gate and found themselves seats while they waited for their flight.

"Seriously Elena how are you not flaming mad right now" Jenna asked as she stood at the counter of the coffee shop in the airport waiting for the coffees that they had ordered. "Stefan and Caroline?"

"Yeah who would of thought," Elena mumbled as she looked down at her shoes while leaning against the counter. Biting her bottom lip she shrugged her shoulders not wanting to really get all upset over something like this even though Jenna seemed to think she should be upset.

"Has Stefan said anything about it?" Jenna asked, as she wasn't ready to let the issue go yet.

"I told him I didn't care" Elena responded.

"Don't care? Elena he is your boyfriend!" Jenna snapped at her just as Bonnie was coming over to join the girls as they waited for their coffees to be set on the counter.

As one coffee was brought over and set in front of them Elena thanked the girl and then rolled her eyes as she turned back to Jenna who seemed to be more upset about Stefan and Caroline kissing than she was. "He isn't my boyfriend anymore," Elena reminded her as she handed Jenna her coffee.

"Yeah but it has only been a week" Bonnie stated as she too was a little upset that Caroline would make a move on Stefan, especially when she was so vocal about Elena getting back together with him.

"And I slept with Damon so I think its okay if Stefan moves on" Elena stated.

"With Caroline?" Jenna asked not sure how Elena could be so calm with Stefan dating her best friend. "How can you be okay with it being Caroline that he moves on with?"

"They kissed once, he didn't buy her a diamond ring" Elena laughed just as another cup of coffee was brought over to them. Picking it up Elena took a sip doing her best to stay calm even though Jenna was doing her best to get her to let out anger over the situation. "Is Caroline the ideal girl I want him to move on with, maybe not but I broke up with him I don't get a say. Something I wished I could do" Elena stated.

"Wait are your pretending to be happy for them so you and Damon get together?" Bonnie asked as she got her cup off coffee and then girls started to walk back towards the gate.

"I'm not doing anything, I'm just simply not telling my ex boyfriend who he can and can not date." Elena told them. "Now if we could just drop it I don't have anything else to say, other then Stefan and I are done and I would like everyone to stop telling me how I should feel!" she told them one last time before picking up the pace and making her way towards their gate where the others were sitting and waiting.

As Elena, Jenna and Bonnie came back with coffees they took their seats together beside Alaric and Kol. Stefan couldn't help but notice how not once during this trip to the airport had Elena and Damon ever looked in the others direction. Elena sat there with her coffee next to Jenna making small talk while checking her watch for when they would be boarding the plane acting like she didn't even know Damon. After Stefan had witnessed Damon and Elena during last night's confessions to each other he couldn't help but notice how distance they were from each other now. If he hadn't seen how they were the other night he would have never known how deep their connection was. They were sitting on opposite sides of the bench at the gate and Stefan found himself watching two people he cared about staying away from each other because of him.

His brother was sitting beside Kol as he read a newspaper or at least pretending to be reading it. Stefan had never seen his brother care for anyone other then himself ever especially a woman. When it came to relationships Damon always had one foot out the door so that he could run off when he got bored. He also had no problem going after what he wanted no matter who got hurt but this time Damon was a whole other person. It was obvious he cared about Elena but was sacrificing his happiness because she was his ex. In the beginning when Stefan had learned that they had slept together he was angry and felt so betrayed by them but now he saw two people he cared about miserable. It was because of him that both Elena and Damon had a bad spring break and while in the beginning he didn't want them getting together he was now starting to wonder why?

"We are now boarding for the flight to Charlotte, North Carolina" came the announcer.

Slowly everyone got to their feet as they were prepared for the four hour trip home as they had one stop in Charlotte before continuing on to Charlottesville Virginia. Collecting their bags they all got in line to board the plane with Elena in front and Damon standing all the way at the back. Slowly everyone moved to take their seats one the plane and place their bags above. With Seats having three on each side of the isle Elena sat with Jenna and Alaric, Kol and Bonnie sat with Caroline and this left Damon and Stefan to sit together in front of Kol, Bonnie and Caroline.

Taking a deep breath Stefan looked over at his brother who was sitting next to him staring out the window of the plane and never saying a word. "Listen Damon about…" Stefan started to say but suddenly Damon cut him off.

"Look we have a long flight, lets continue to ignore the elephant in the room while we are 35, 000ft in the air trapped in a cylinder tube" Damon replied.

Looking at his brother Stefan gave him a nod and them moved to pull out a magazine and started flipping through it. Biting his bottom lip he glance back over at his brother who seemed to be trying to sleep. He then turned to look at Elena as she was sitting in her seat just staring straight ahead, looking sad and like no one else was around her. It was really starting to get to Stefan as he was seeing how much pain both Damon and Elena seemed to be in with their attempts to stay away from each other. He knew he couldn't watch two people he cared about so much be kept apart because of him, especially since him and Elena were truly finished as a couple. He couldn't believe he was even thinking about it but something had to be done.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

With the return to Mystic Falls and spring break becoming just a memory it was time to get back to reality and school. Jumping back into the first week of school after the break Elena threw herself into her studies and spent a good majority of her time in the library with Bonnie. She had avoided seeing Damon or even Stefan during the first week back at school and she made it very clear to her friends she didn't want to talk about either of them.

So just like every night that week, Elena was in the library with her textbooks and notes scattered around her. She was working on her second cup of coffee as she tried keeping herself focus on her studies and taking notes. Bonnie was sitting across from her with her books covering the other half of the table as she was rereading her notes and highlighting her textbook. Sitting at the corner of the table was Bonnie's cell phone and as it started to vibrate on the table both girls looked over at it.

As Bonnie was replying to the text, Elena was returning back to her notes as her pen moved across the page furiously. When the two went back to work without a word they didn't go long before Bonnie's phone started to vibrate again and had both girls looking over at the phone. Bonnie was biting her bottom lip, as she looked over at her phone unsure if she should answer it.

Elena saw her hesitation and let out a sigh knowing that her friend was trying not to talk to her boyfriend while with her. She was really starting to hate the pity people around gave her and the idea people seem to get that she couldn't be happy for her friends for being in love was stupid. "Look if you want to go see him go. I'll be fine" Elena stated.

"No it's fine… he says we will come here," Bonnie told her.

"Does Kol even know where the library is?" Elena teased with a smile as she looked up at her friend.

"He's got a map" Bonnie joked back as she tapped her pen on her notebook. While both girls were giggling, Bonnie's phone went off again and Bonnie picked it up to read the text that Kol had sent her.

"Hey can you meet me outside, alone" the text read.

"Okay maybe he can't find the library," Bonnie laughed as she pushed back from the table and got to her feet.

"Don't worry it's fine, I'll see you later" Elena told her knowing that after a long night of studying Bonnie deserved a break to go spend time with Kol.

"Yeah see you later" Bonnie responded as she picked up her belongings and threw them into her bag. With one last smile she swung her backpack over her shoulder and headed out of the library and leaving Elena to go back to studying.

As Bonnie was leaving the library her phone went off again and it got her wondering what was going on that was so important that he couldn't come in and talk in front of Elena. Without answering her phone she picked up the pace and found Kol leaning against the wall texting on his phone. "What's going on?" she asked him as she was a little nervous about his sudden urgency.

"Sorry Stefan wants to talk to us" Kol informed her as he pushed off from the wall to stand up straight. Bonnie was giving Kol a look of confusion still unsure as to what was going on. Why were Kol and Stefan talking and having secret meetings? They weren't really friends but now seemed to be texting each other back and forth. Placing his hand on Bonnie's lower back the two started walking down the hall to an empty study hall room.

Kol didn't say anything else to her as they made their way to an room and opened it up to find Stefan, Jenna and Caroline sitting on top of the two long tables that were in the middle of the room with a blackboard on one of the walls. "What is going on?" Bonnie asked looking at the secret meeting that couldn't involve Elena.

"I just asked the same question" Jenna replied with a slight smile, "where is Elena?"

"The library I was told to come alone" Bonnie answered but now was really curious as to what was going on.

"Stefan what is going on?" Caroline asked looking at Stefan as he was sitting at the front of the room with a serious look on his face. He had called them all hear but didn't tell them why. They hadn't talked much since returning from West Palm Beach but he all of a sudden out of the blue sent them a text to come and meet him.

"Look I know you are all wondering why I asked you to meet me and keep it from Elena and Damon" Stefan told them as all eyes were on him and all trying to understand what was going on. Seeing all the eyes staring back at him made him a little nervous as he bit his bottom lip and tried to find the right words to use. "Things haven't been that easy these last couple weeks but I think it is time we make things right" he told them.

"Okay…" Bonnie replied as she took a seat on the table next to Caroline as she was becoming very curious in where this was going.

"I have tried to do it myself but it isn't working" Stefan told them. "It has become clear to me that Damon and Elena really do care about each other and it not fair that it is because of me that they are miserable" he told them.

"Wait so you want Elena and Damon to be together?" Jenna asked a little shocked to be hearing this from Stefan, Elena's ex boyfriend.

"Look Elena and I broke up and I don't see us getting back together," Stefan told them.

"So you think Damon is best for her? The guy sleeps with anything that moves" Caroline snapped.

"Well he has easily avoided you" Kol snapped not liking them attacking his friend who wasn't even there. Caroline's jaw dropped in shock at Kol's comment and looked at Bonnie for back up but Bonnie just kept quiet. "You all need to back off him, he actually cares about Elena and hasn't been sleeping around since he was with her."

"Oh goody he hasn't slept with anyone for two whole weeks other then that night with Elena" Caroline said as she rolled her eyes. "He is a changed man."

"Do you think you have any right to bash Damon? Caroline last I check you were sucking on her ex boyfriends face!" Kol yelled at her and watched as Caroline gasped in shock that he knew. "Yeah everyone knows Caroline" Kol told her in angers as he continued to glare at her.

"Alright that is enough!" Stefan yelled, as everyone seemed to be yelling at each other for something. He had hoped this would be the easy part of his plan but things weren't working out that way. All eyes were on him as everyone else was sitting in the room unsure of what Stefan wanted them to do. "Look this isn't about me and it isn't about any of us, this about Elena and Damon and the fact that maybe we are the reason they are so unhappy" Stefan explained.

"Elena isn't unhappy she is just confused about what she wants," Caroline told them all.

"Will you shut up and actually think about what your friend wants!" Kol snapped at Caroline.

"I am think about want she wants, but I am also trying to protect her," Caroline yelled.

"You could have fooled me, how was kissing Stefan protecting her?" Kol shot back.

"Guys we are getting off topic here" Bonnie said, as she stood in between the two afraid they were seconds away from tackling each other to the ground. "This is about Damon and Elena and what is best for them and not what we think is best for them."

Rolling her eyes Caroline took a seat and decided it was best that she just remain quiet for the remainder of this meeting. It was true she did want what was best for Elena but there may be a chance that she was putting too much pressure on Elena. Change was never something Caroline was good with and the fact that Elena and Stefan had broken up after years of dating it made her freak out a bit. Maybe she was thinking about Elena and Stefan's relationship selfishly and wanting things to stay they way they were for her.

"Where is Damon anyway?" Bonnie asked since she hadn't seen much of him since they got back from spring break.

"Same place he had been all week, at the bar with Ric" Jenna told them. "Look I will admit that I am not the biggest Damon and Elena supporter but Damon has changed, I mean three weeks ago Damon would of brought a new girl home every night but he hasn't really talked with other women and it isn't from the lack of them trying trust me" Jenna stated to everyone as she recalled one night she had joined the two guys at the bar for a drink. In all the years that Jenna had known Damon she was seeing a different side of him. Sure he was still sarcastic and a little arrogant at times but he wasn't as flirty or carefree as he usually was. Something had changed him, or someone. "So what is your plan?

"Well we have the Mystic Falls annual flag football game coming up" Stefan started to say as everyone was listening closely.

"You mean the game they both decided not to play in because they didn't want one to play and not the other," Bonnie reminded him. They had already had this conversation with them and seeing how Damon and Elena didn't think they could handle being together they decided it was only fair that neither of them played.

"Yeah but I think I have a solution for that" Stefan told them with a bit of a smirk.

* * *

"Another bourbon" Damon called out to the bartender as he and Alaric sat at the counter of The Mystic Grill. For the last week the two had been regulars in those seats drinking and doing their best to keep Damon's minds off Elena. It was amazing how things had change over the course of spring break for the two as they started off as enemies and now were best friends.

"Hey Damon" came a voice from behind him and as he turned around he saw a familiar face. The hot redhead was eyeing Damon closely and licking her lips while claiming the seat on the other side of Damon. Giving her a slight smile he started to remember her as the girl he as slept with before spring break or at least one of the two.

The girl seemed to be undressing him with her eyes and her hands slowly trailed up and down his arm. If this had been three weeks ago Damon would have been taking her home right about now because this girl wasn't about to play hard to get but things were different now. The idea of taking random girls home every night didn't appeal to him anymore. He only wanted one girl and it was one girl he couldn't have, Elena. No it didn't matter what Brittney… Sara… or what ever her name said or did she wasn't what he wanted.

"You know there is a party just down the street you should come… and you can bring your friend too" she told him with a huge smile on her face and hinted that she had other plans after the party that would be a lot of fun.

"Well as tempting as that sound I'm going to have to pass" Damon told her.

"If you don't want to go to the party we can go some place else" she offered. She then leaned in close so she could whisper in his ear and describe in great detail was she wanted to do to him as her hands moved up his shirt.

This whole time Alaric was just sitting there watching in complete shock, as the girl seemed to be doing what ever she could to get Damon to go home with her. In fact she seemed so desperate she would might of settled for the bathroom here.

"Not tonight" Damon told her and then brushed the girl off. With a pout she decided to take the hint and ended up walking off accepting his rejection. "Honestly that damn fifty shades crap has women wanting to reenact every stupid scene," Damon mumbled to him.

"Yeah that sound awful" Alaric said pretending to sound like it was one of the most horrible thing to have women come on to you no matter what.

"Jenna hasn't offered the whip yet?" Damon asked with a smirk.

"No, I'm dating one of the three women that hasn't read the book" he told him as he took a sip of his bourbon.

As the two sat there and ordered another drink Stefan walking into the bar and then made his way over to sit next to the guys. "Hey, I've been looking for you" Stefan said.

"That shouldn't have been hard" Damon told him and then ordered his brother a drink.

"Listen I need to talk to you about the flag football game" Stefan told him.

"I already said I'm not playing" Damon replied before he took a drink.

"I know you said that but listen if you don't play then we will be stuck using Shane as a replacement" Stefan told him and watched as Damon looked a little horrified at that guy would be playing as his replacement. As much as Damon didn't want to play his competitive side was hard to hold back in a game that allowed bragging rights for the rest of the year.

* * *

"Elena come on you have to play" Jenna said as she was sitting on Elena's bed as she watched Elena moving around the room and putting her laundry. As soon as the girls had returned home from school Jenna was doing her best to get Elena to agree to play flag football on the weekend.

The plan was that with both Elena and Damon being highly competitive that they wouldn't be able to turn down some good competition. Stefan had the whole plan worked out and while he was off trying to convince Damon to play it was her job to get Elena to agree to play.

By getting the two to play they would throw themselves back into their competitive minds and everything that was keeping them sad and distant would be pushed aside so that they could help their team win. The two would start their playful banter innocently without even realizing it and in the end it was their hope that the two would give in and be together. Right now all that stood between them being together was Stefan and if they could see and know Stefan wasn't going to let himself be the reason they couldn't be together then the two could find happiness. It was going to take then help of the group to get Damon and Elena to see they belong together and that although their friends didn't support them earlier, they are now.

"I'm sorry I can't" Elena responded as she shook her head. It was too soon, things with Damon were still hard and it wasn't fair that one of them got to play and not the other. The two hadn't spoken since the night they confession on much they cared about each other but couldn't be together.

"Please Elena, if you don't we are going to be stuck with Rebekah" Jenna told her in a horrifying tone.

"Rebekah? Isn't she gone back to school?" Elena asked as she turned and took a seat on her bed as well and faced Jenna. Brushing her long straight hair back and letting out a sad sigh, Elena seemed to be staring a thousand miles away.

"She is but she will be in town for the game and Kol said she wants to play" Jenna explain. "And since Kol is on the other team he was more then happy to let her play because you weren't" Jenna lied hoping that Elena would agree to play the game. "So please Elena, please play," Jenna begged as she reached out for Elena's hand.

Elena bit her bottom lip as she thought about what whether or not she should agree to play. A part of her wanted to play but another part of her didn't think she could handle it. "I don't know" Elena told her as she found herself not being able to look up at Jenna.

"Okay how about this, you come and see how you feel" Jenna suggested doing her best not to get a flat out no. Everyone was counting on her to get Elena to agree to play and if she didn't then they may never get Damon and Elena to give in and be together.

"Okay I'll see how it goes," Elena told her as she did her best to smile as Jenna reached forward and gave her niece a hug.

"Oh that's great! You will have fun I know you will and everything will be fine" Jenna told her and as they stayed in the embrace Elena gave a nod and she too hoped that everything would be okay.

* * *

The afternoon of the game had everyone in town gathering to the football field for the annual charity flag football game. The stands filled with all the locals coming out to watch as one of the biggest Mystic falls rival games, girls against boys. People were waving flags and singing out chants as they waited for the game to get started.

Driving up Elena parked her car on the busy street that had many people all heading in the same direction as the field. With a nervous sigh Elena killed the engine and then pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. Over the course of the last 24 hours Elena had gone back and forth but in the end forced herself to come and try and have a little fun. Opening the car door she stepped out dressed in her shorts and white t-shirt and followed the crowd of people all heading for the field.

As she arrived she saw Damon, Stefan and the guys on the field throwing the ball around. The guys were all dressed in black t-shirts as the girls were stretching on the other side of the field wearing white t-shirts. Watching the guys she saw how focused and determined they seemed to be as Damon threw the ball to Kol while he was running down the field and making a catch.

"Look at my man go!" Bonnie cheered as she jumped up and down when she saw Kol caught the ball. After Kol caught the ball he had a huge smile on his face and then waltzed over to the center of the field to meet Bonnie and then leaned in for a kiss.

"Hey Kol stop fraternizing with the enemy" Damon called out to his friend.

As Bonnie and Kol broke apart Bonnie was glaring at Damon while he had smirk plastered across his face.

"Yeah Bonnie we have to give them a fighting chance, girls and shiny objects is all it takes to distract these guys" Elena called out as she stepped onto the field.

Damon's smirk didn't leave his face as he turn to look at her and saw she too had her game face on. "Trust me the only shiny object you are going to see is that trophy being hoisted over my head" Damon relied.

"Dream on Salvatore" Elena shot back as she and Bonnie made their way back over to huddle up with the girls and Damon and Kol made their way over to the guys. It was on now, the competition was heated up and they were a game away from holding bragging rights.

Joining the girls in a huddle Jenna and Caroline has just finished stretching and came ready to play. Elena was elected captain and was giving out positions and plays for everyone to make. Off to the side Rebekah was standing there with a bit of a pout on her face but mostly because she didn't like the white t-shirt she was wearing, as it didn't matched her shoes. "Alright, Jenna you are going to catch it and we are going to block.

"Okay break!" the girls said as they clapped and then got into positions as Damon got ready to throw the ball. Getting into position they watched as Damon threw it high in the air. As Jenna caught the ball the others ran to block the guys as Jenna took off running down the field. Kol came running right for her but as she dodged by him she was able to run a few yards before Alaric was able to reach out and pull her flag off.

The girls continued to make their way down the field during the second down and Elena was able to catch a pass and run it into the end zone. The crowd started to cheer as the girls made it a 7-0 game.

"Alright that fine its only one" Damon called as he tried to keep his team motivated.

"Yeah maybe by the end of the game you will figure out that you are suppose to stop us," Elena teased with a grin.

"Don't get so cocky get Gilbert" Damon told her as he walked back over to his team.

Alaric had the ball in his hand as they stood at center field and he hut the ball back to Damon. As the girls came running towards them Damon threw the ball to Kol as he ran down the field only to get stop by Elena when she pulled his flag when he got about two yards down the field.

This went on for a few more plays and the score fluctuated with the guys taking the lead, then the girls coming back but only to have the boys take a two-touchdown lead. The taunting only continued and while everyone was getting in on it, Damon and Elena seemed to be having the most fun teasing each other.

As the ball was thrown Damon jumped up in the air to catch it and took off running, he was able to dodge past Caroline no problem and spun around Bonnie while keeping his flag. It wasn't until Elena came flying towards him and knocked him off his feet. "Uh oh someone got knocked over by a girl" Elena said all innocent as Damon just looked up in shock of what just happened.

"What was that?" Damon called out as he got to his feet.

"Sorry I barely touched you and you fell over" Elena said as she shrugged her shoulders knowing she did a little more then that.

"Okay, honey you want to play rough? We can play rough" Damon challenged as he stood up and tried to stare Elena down but she wasn't backing down either.

"Bring it on Salvatore!" Elena said with a smirk as things in the game were just getting a whole lot interesting.

"Having them kill each other wasn't the plan right?" Jenna asked as she was standing a foot away from Stefan and watching as Damon and Elena tried to get under each other's skin.

"Trust me things are working perfectly" he told her.

As they hut the ball Jenna threw it to Bonnie who took it into the end zone and did a little touchdown dance when Kol wasn't able to stop her from catching it. Later as Elena was running and calling for Jenna to throw the ball to her Damon came over and picked her up and spun her around so that he was able to catch the ball instead and then take off running. Elena was able to get him back as she jumped on his back to intercept a play and left Damon standing there in shock as she ran the ball back for a touchdown and had a smile on her face as she waved the ball at Damon.

"35 -21 like it or not you guys are done!" Elena chanted while Damon and the guys tried to think of how to get back in the game.

"Cute, when we beat you, at least you will have cheerleading you can do next year" Damon replied while Elena and the girls did a little cheerleading dance for the crowd.

As the guys went into a huddle they were in deep thought about how they could pull this off, okay guys the clock is ticking and we are losing, we are losing to girls!" Damon reminded them.

"Yeah if we lose we will never hear the end of it and anyone you date will hear about this" Ric told them as they tried to regroup.

"Come on are we playing football or not?" Elena called out as the guys finished deciding on their play.

As the game continued the girls did their best to keep their lead and the guys were really making them work hard for it. Any relationships outside the game were put on hold as the played the last minutes of the game. The guys got another touchdown as Damon ran it into the end zone and didn't hold back as he taunted Elena. They all played hard as the crowd in the stands cheered as the game was counted down from its final seconds.

When the clock counted back to zero the girls started cheering as they won by a touchdown. The dance party started in the middle of the field and Elena couldn't stop herself from smiling. It had been so long since she had felt so happy and was so glad that her and Damon seemed to be able to get along so well.

"Nice work Gilbert" Damon told her as he came forward to shake her hand in congratulations.

"You too" Elena replied as she reach out for his hand and the sparks that had been there a week ago still seemed so strong. They both had smiles on their faces as they seemed to hold the handshake a little longer than was needed but they both seemed to be in their own little world and no one else existed.

Unknown to them the others were secretly watching as the two smiled and chatted with each other. Stefan found himself smiling as he watched his brother and Elena genuinely smiled for the first time in weeks as both seemed to have let their guard down at this time.

"I think the plan is working" Ric said as he came over and wrapped his arm around Stefan and Jenna as they watched the people their cared about showing so much love for one another whether they would admit it or not.

"Yea, I think so," Stefan said and although apart of him was sad he had to admit that as he saw the way Damon and Elena were looking at each other it was something he and Elena never had. She never looked at him like that, the connection they had was never as strong as it seemed to be with Damon and Elena right now.

* * *

At the after party the gang was getting drinks at The Mystic Grill to celebrate the girls win and a great day they all had. Bonnie and Kol were dancing on the dance floor with Caroline giggling and laughing. Caroline had finally decided that it was time to back off Elena and let her make her own decisions and not pressure her into what she thought was right. She had seen how Damon and Elena were on the football field and although they were quite competitive with each other it was so obvious that they definitely had something between them no matter how hard they fought against it during spring break. It was time to let go and know that she couldn't control everything no matter how much she wanted to.

Stefan was sitting with Jenna and Alaric laughing about what had happen during the game and how even after fighting like mad to win the game everyone was getting along so well now. This was even true for Damon and Elena as Stefan watched as Elena took a seat next to Damon on the other side of the bar.

"You did good Stefan" Jenna told him.

"Not many people would be able to step aside and watch their brother fall in love with his ex" Jenna told him and looked over at Stefan as he gave a nod.

"They were willing to sacrifice their happiness for me, so what kind of person would I be if I let the two most important people in my life not get the chance to find happiness.

"You're a good guy Stefan" Ric said.

"Just wish I hadn't been so selfish during spring break and kept us all miserable" he told them.

"You had a right to be hurt, you loved her but it just wasn't meant to be and you had to come to terms with that in your own time" Jenna replied as she looked over at how happy Elena seemed to be at that very moment talking to Damon.

"Here I bought you a drink," Elena said as she placed a glass of bourbon in front do Damon.

"Seems only fair since I let you win today" Damon replied teasingly and he watched knowing that her eyes would widen and she would get all worked up over his comment.

"Let us win? You didn't let us do anything," Elena told him.

"If that is want you want to believe," Damon answered with a smirk before he took a drink of the bourbon Elena had bought for him.

Elena smiled and shook her head knowing that he was trying to get her to fight back with him. "Today was fun" she ended up saying honestly, "I can't really remember that last time I smiled this much" she told him.

Damon nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah today was fun," he told her and the two couldn't stop smiling at the continued to talk as if they were the only ones in the room. As the night went on the crowd started to thin out as it got later. Damon and Elena had a very fun night but as it was coming to an end and things would be going back how they had been for the past week. Biting his bottom lip as he finished his drink Damon knew he should be taking off soon.

"So I better get going," Elena told him awkwardly.

"Yeah I guess so" Damon stated sadly but nodded his head.

"Anyway I better go; friends?" Elena said nervously as she looked over at Damon.

"Yeah friends."

Saying goodbye one last time she got up from her seat and started to leave the bar while Damon remained sitting there and decided to order another drink. Him and Elena had a great day where they had put their issues aside to play football with their friends.

"What are you doing?" came Stefan's voice as he moved in to take a seat next to Damon at the bar.

"I've having a drink" Damon replied as he held up his bourbon before taking another slip.

"Go after her" Stefan told his brother.

"What?" was all Damon could say, as he was unsure if he had heard his brother right.

"Look I know I have been a jerk and made you feel guilty for sleeping with Elena but things have changed," he told him. "I overheard you and Elena talking the last night in Florida."

"Stefan" Damon said as he shook his head and let out a sigh.

"Listen things between Elena and I are over, I shouldn't be the reason you two aren't together. I saw how you guys were that night and to be honest Damon she never felt the way about me as she does you. Don't let me be the reason that you let go of something that could turn into something great" Stefan told his brother.

Damon looked over at his brother and couldn't believe what he was hearing, was Stefan really telling him that him being with Elena wasn't going cause a big rift between them? Sure him and Stefan were always butting heads but as brothers they always had each other's back and he couldn't handle the idea of Stefan not being in his life.

"Look I'm not going to lie seeing you guys together won't be easy, but it is a hell of a lot better then seeing two people I care about miserable" Stefan told him and Damon could tell this wasn't an easy thing for him to do. "Go after her Damon" Stefan repeated nodding for his brother to go.

After Damon touched his brother on the shoulder and stared at him for a moment he was trying to find the words to express how he felt at hearing his brother giving him his blessing. "Stefan" was all he could muster out before he went speechless.

"I know," Stefan answered already knowing what his brother was gong to say. "Now go!" he repeated one last time as he watched his brother take off out of the bar and out into the streets of Mystic Falls in search of Elena.

Running down the now quiet street that only a few hours ago was fill with people, Damon searched around for any sign of Elena. His heart was pounding fast then he ever thought possible as he searched for her. His head whipped from side to side trying to spot her, she couldn't of gotten very far but he had to find her soon. Just before he was about to give up and drive to her house he spotted a figure in the distance under a light post as she searched for her keys in her purse next to her car. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for and he found himself going through what he should say to her. "ELENA!" he called out to her as he started running towards her.

Hearing her name being called Elena looked up from her purse and turned to see Damon standing in front of her. He seemed so out of breath as he stood in front of her and she couldn't understand why. "Damon?" was all she could think to say as she looked at him questioningly and wondered what was going on.

Damon found his mind racing of everything he wanted to say to her but now as he stood in front of her and was staring at her beauty as the light from the lamppost shined down on her and giving off a glow he felt speechless. She was looking at him all confused and also unsure as to what was going on as Damon took a deep breath and started to slowly walk towards her. "I don't want to be friends," Damon said to her as he took a few steps to get closer to her.

Elena found herself at a loss for words and was just staring at Damon with longing eyes as he got closer and closer to her. There was so much she wanted to say to him too but instead she remained silent and staring into those memorizing steal blue eyes. Her heart was pounding and a part of her wondered if Damon could hear her heart as he was standing so close to her now.

"I don't want to go back to being friends, I can't" Damon told her, he was now inches away from face and their eyes were gazing down at each others lips with so much longing. "I love you, Elena" Damon finally said in a shaky and nervous voice.

He had never said that to a woman before and after the words left his mouth and was now out in the open he had to nervously watch Elena's face for any kind of reaction. This kind of confession was not something Damon was very good at, he tended to keep things to himself and not let anyone in. Things were easier that way because he couldn't get hurt or disappoint someone if he never let them get close to him. Yet when it came to Elena a part of him wanted to have those experiences that he never allowed himself to discover. "You are the most amazing woman I have ever known, you are kind, smart and beautiful inside and out." He said as his hand came up to caress down her cheek.

He could see tears in her eyes and although for a split second he though she wasn't going to reciprocate his declaration all his fear disappeared as a smile crept over her face and she leaned in closer for a kiss. Their lips touched and immediately it was like heaven as everything just fell into place. His hands came up to cup her face, while her arms were up and around his neck as her fingers caressed the back of his neck and the ends of his jet black hair. Her feet stepped even closer to him so that pretty much ever part of her body was touching his. Their lips moved together in a perfect rhythm and it felt so good to finally give in to what they both wanted for so long. They didn't even want to come up for breath as the passion and electricity grew with every touch their lips made.

When they finally did break Elena's forehead was pressed against his and they remained so close together and not separating. Damon's thumb was caressing her jaw line as their eyes stared deep into the others and Elena said those three words Damon was dying to hear. "I love you," she said softly but with so much love and desire. "I still want to be us, I want to be competitive and bicker like we always do but at the end of the day I want it to always end the same way" she told him.

Damon gave a smile and then leaned in for another kiss as his arms wrapped around her and he was picking her up to spin her around. As they kissed Elena let out a giggle as she was being spun around in the middle of the street on such a beautiful and now so perfect night.

* * *

**One more chapter to go! Thanks for reading!**


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